Footwear with traction elements

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to articles of footwear having traction elements, and systems and methods for manufacturing same. An example shoe includes an upper and a sole plate, the sole plate including a lower surface adapted for ground contact having a first sole portion including first traction elements, the first traction elements having a distal end and a side wall with extensions extending from a central core, and a second sole portion including second traction elements, the second traction elements having at least one geometrical feature differing in one or more aspects from a corresponding geometrical feature of the first traction elements.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-in-Part application of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/134,948, filed on Dec. 19, 2013, which claimspriority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 61/739,346, filed Dec. 19, 2012, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of footwear, andmore particularly to articles of footwear having sole plates withtraction elements thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many aspects of the performance and comfort of articles of footwear aredependent upon various performance and physical characteristics of thewearer of the footwear. For example, stride length, stride rate,footstrike location, pronation/supination, running style, and runningspeed can be affected by the elements of the footwear being worn. Inaddition, physical characteristics of the athlete, such as height,weight, shoe size, foot shape, leg shape and size, etc. can affect theperformance of the athlete and the article of footwear being worn.

While each individual athlete has a unique set of performance andphysical characteristics and a unique set of aesthetic and performancerequirements, the athlete has generally been limited when selectingfootwear to basic choices such as brand, style, size, width, and (forrunning spikes and cleated footwear) spike size and shape, with fullycustomized footwear addressing the specific performance and aestheticrequirements of an individual unavailable under traditionalmanufacturing techniques and product distribution channels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed towards customized footwear, apparel,and sporting equipment, and elements thereof, and related systems andmethods for designing and manufacturing same.

One aspect of the invention includes a sole plate for an article offootwear. The sole plate includes a lower surface adapted for groundcontact, with the lower surface including a first sole portion having aplurality of first traction elements, the first traction elements havinga distal end and a side wall including a plurality of extensionsextending from a central core, and a second sole portion having aplurality of second traction elements, the second traction elementshaving at least one geometrical feature differing in at least one aspectfrom a corresponding geometrical feature of the first traction elements.In one embodiment, the side wall of the first traction elementsincludes, or consist essentially of, three tapered extensions extendingfrom the central core. An orientation of at least one first tractionelement in a first region of the first sole portion may be differentfrom an orientation of at least one first traction element in a secondregion of the first sole portion. In one embodiment, the second tractionelements have a distal end and a side wall including, or consistingessentially of, a substantially hexagonal cross-section. Alternatively,the second traction elements may have a distal end and a side wallhaving at least one of a substantially circular cross-section, asubstantially oval cross-section, and a substantially polygonalcross-section, the polygonal cross-section comprising at least one of atriangular, a square, a rectangular, a pentagonal, or a hexagonalpolygon.

In one embodiment, the second sole portion includes three secondtraction elements arranged in a substantially triangular patternproximate a first metatarsal region of a foot of a wearer of the articleof footwear. The three second traction elements arranged in thesubstantially triangular pattern may have substantially the same height,or may differ in height. The second sole portion may further include afourth second traction element positioned in a medial forefoot region ofthe foot of the wearer of the article of footwear.

The second sole portion can extend from a medial side edge of the soleplate to a central region of the sole plate and the first sole portioncan extend from a lateral side edge of the sole plate to a centralregion of the sole plate proximate at least one of a midfoot region ofthe sole plate, a forefoot region of the sole plate, and a metatarsalregion of a foot of a wearer of the article of footwear. In oneembodiment the second sole portion extends from the medial side edge tothe central region over a maximum of between approximately 50% toapproximately 80% of the width of the sole plate. In one embodiment, thesecond sole portion includes a first edge proximate an edge of the soleplate, a second edge extending from the edge of the sole plate to acentral region of the sole plate, and a third edge extending from theedge of the sole plate to the central region of the sole plate, whereinthe second edge and the third edge converge and meet in the centralregion of the sole plate.

In one embodiment the first sole portion and second sole portion areseparated by one or more flex grooves. In one embodiment the first soleportion includes, or consists essentially of, a first material and thesecond sole portion includes, or consists essentially of, a secondmaterial different from the first material. The first material and/orsecond materials may include, or consist essentially of, nylon and/orthermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The first sole portion may be bondedto, co-molded with, mechanically attached to, or otherwise removably orpermanently attached to the second sole portion. In one embodiment, one,some, or all of the first and/or second traction elements can include ametal portion and, for example, a metal distal end portion. The metalcan include any appropriate metal such as, but not limited to, aluminumor steel. In one embodiment, at least one or more of the first andsecond traction elements have a metal distal end and at least one ormore of the first and second traction elements have a TPU distal end. Inone embodiment, each of the first and the second traction elements havea TPU distal end.

In one embodiment, at least one of the first sole portion and the secondsole portion further includes at least one of a tread pattern and aplurality of third traction elements. The third traction elements may,for example, include raised extensions connected by a plurality ofinterconnected elongate elements. In one embodiment, at least one of thefirst sole portion and the second sole portion further includes astructural support element, with the structural support element, forexample, including a plurality of interconnected elongate elements.

Another aspect of the invention includes an article of footwearincluding an upper and a sole, the sole including a sole platecomprising a lower surface adapted for ground contact. The lower surfaceof the sole plate can include a first sole portion having a plurality offirst traction elements, the first traction elements having a distal endand a side wall including a plurality of extensions extending from acentral core, and a second sole portion having a plurality of secondtraction elements, the second traction elements having at least onegeometrical feature differing in at least one aspect from acorresponding geometrical feature of the first traction elements.

In one embodiment, the upper includes a first upper portion having afirst surface texture and a second upper portion having a second surfacetexture. The first surface texture may, for example, include a pluralityof substantially evenly distributed indentations (e.g., oval, circular,or polygonal indentations) while the second surface texture may include,for example, a plurality of substantially parallel ridges. The ridgesmay be oriented, in one embodiment, at an angle of between about 30° toabout 60° to the longitudinal axis of the article of footwear and, forexample, at an angle of about 45° to a longitudinal axis of the articleof footwear. The second surface texture can extend over any appropriateregion of the shoe upper and, for example, can extend over a medialforefoot portion of the upper.

At least one of the first upper portion and the second upper portion caninclude, or consist essentially of, a multi-layered material. Themulti-layered material may, for example, include a first material layerproximate an interior of the article of footwear, a second materiallayer proximate an exterior of the article of footwear, and a thirdmaterial layer located between the first material layer and the secondmaterial layer, the third material layer including, or consistingessentially of, a foamed material. The third material layer can includea layer of material having a plurality of substantially evenlydistributed holes extending therethrough, the holes having at least oneof an oval, a circular, or a polygonal cross-section. In one embodimentat least a portion of the upper proximate a midfoot region of thearticle of footwear further includes at least one support structure onan exterior surface thereof, the support structure consisting of, afourth layer of material. In one embodiment the multi-layer materialextends over at least a portion of a medial midfoot region, a forefootregion, and a lateral midfoot region of the article of footwear.

Another aspect of the invention includes an article of footwearincluding an upper and a sole, the sole including a sole plate having alower surface adapted for ground contact, the lower surface including afirst sole portion having a plurality of first traction elements, thefirst traction elements having a distal end and a side wall having aplurality of extensions extending from a central core. The lower surfacefurther includes a second sole portion having a plurality of secondtraction elements, the second traction elements having a distal end anda side wall having a substantially circular or hexagonal cross-section,wherein (i) the second sole portion extends over a medial portion of thelower surface of the sole plate proximate at least one of a midfootregion and a forefoot region of the sole plate, (ii) the second soleportion includes three second traction elements arranged in asubstantially triangular pattern proximate a first metatarsal region ofa foot of a wearer of the article of footwear and a fourth secondtraction element positioned in a medial forefoot region of the foot ofthe wearer of the article of footwear, and (iii) the first sole portionincludes, or consists essentially of, a first material and the secondsole portion includes, or consists essentially of, a second materialdifferent from the first material.

Yet another aspect of the invention includes an article of footwearincluding an upper and a sole, the sole including a sole plate having alower surface adapted for ground contact. The lower surface includes afirst sole portion having a plurality of first traction elements, thefirst traction elements having a distal end and a side wall having aplurality of extensions extending from a central core. The lower surfacefurther includes a second sole portion having a plurality of secondtraction elements, the second traction elements having a distal end anda side wall having a plurality of extensions extending from a centralcore, wherein (i) the second sole portion extends over a medial portionof the lower surface of the sole plate proximate at least one of amidfoot region and a forefoot region of the sole plate, (ii) the firstsole portion includes, or consists essentially of, a first material andthe second sole portion includes, or consists essentially of, a secondmaterial different from the first material, (iii) an orientation of atleast one first traction element in a first region of the first soleportion is different from an orientation of at least one first tractionelement in a second region of the first sole portion, and (iv) thesecond sole portion further includes a plurality of third tractionelements.

These and other objects, along with advantages and features of thepresent invention herein disclosed, will become more apparent throughreference to the following description, the accompanying drawings, andthe claims. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the features of thevarious embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and canexist in various combinations and permutations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed uponillustrating the principles of the invention. In the followingdescription, various embodiments of the present invention are describedwith reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method of designing at least a portion of asole of an article of footwear customized for a user, in accordance withone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a system for obtaining experimental datarepresentative of a performance characteristic of an athlete, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an article of footwear, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4A is a side view of a coordinate system for an article offootwear, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4B is a side view of another coordinate system for an article offootwear, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of a pressure sensing insole for an article offootwear, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5B is a plan view of another pressure sensing insole for an articleof footwear, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6A is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for a foot of anathlete undergoing an initial heel-striking ground contact during arunning motion, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6B is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for a foot of theathlete of FIG. 6A undergoing a toe-off phase of a running motion;

FIG. 6C is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for both a leftand right foot of the athlete of FIG. 6A undergoing a toe-off phase of arunning motion while running round a corner portion of an athletictrack;

FIG. 7A is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for a foot of anathlete undergoing an initial midfoot-striking ground contact during arunning motion, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7B is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for a foot of theathlete of FIG. 7A undergoing a toe-off phase of a running motion;

FIG. 7C is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for both a leftand right foot of the athlete of FIG. 7A undergoing a toe-off phase of arunning motion while running around a corner portion of an athletictrack;

FIG. 8A is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for a foot ofanother athlete undergoing an initial midfoot-striking ground contactduring a running motion, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 8B is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for a foot of theathlete of FIG. 8A undergoing a toe-off phase of a running motion;

FIG. 8C is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for both a leftand right foot of the athlete of FIG. 8A undergoing a toe-off phase of arunning motion while running around a corner portion of an athletictrack;

FIG. 9A is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for a foot ofanother athlete undergoing an initial forefoot-striking ground contactduring a running motion, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 9B is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for a foot of theathlete of FIG. 9A undergoing a toe-off phase of a running motion;

FIG. 9C is a schematic view of a pressure distribution for both a leftand right foot of the athlete of FIG. 9A undergoing a toe-off phase of arunning motion while running round a corner portion of an athletictrack;

FIG. 10A is a schematic view of pressure data measurements and center ofpressure calculations for an athlete undergoing a heel-striking styleground contact phase of a running motion, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10B is a schematic view of pressure data measurements and center ofpressure data for an athlete undergoing a midfoot-striking style groundcontact phase of a running motion, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 10C is a schematic view of pressure data measurements and center ofpressure data for another athlete undergoing a midfoot-striking styleground contact phase of a running motion, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10D is a schematic view of pressure data measurements and center ofpressure data for another athlete undergoing a forefoot-striking styleground contact phase of a running motion, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11A is a graph of force measurements between an article of footwearand the ground during the ground contact phase of a running motion for aheel-striking running style, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 11B is a graph of force measurements between an article of footwearand the ground during the ground contact phase of a running motion for amidfoot-striking running style, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 12A is a schematic representation of pressure measurements on aplurality of pressure sensors in an insole of an article of footwearduring an initial heel-striking ground contact phase of a runningmotion, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12B is a schematic representation of pressure measurements in theinsole of FIG. 12A during an intermediate ground contact phase of arunning motion;

FIG. 12C is a schematic representation of pressure measurements in theinsole of FIG. 12A during a toe-off phase of a running motion;

FIG. 13A is a schematic view of both force and localized pressure dataduring an initial heel-striking ground contact phase of a runningmotion, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13B is a schematic view of both force and localized pressure datafor the shoe of FIG. 13A during a ground contact phase of a runningmotion;

FIG. 13C is a schematic view of both force and localized pressure datafor the shoe of FIG. 13A during a toe-off phase of a running motion;

FIG. 14A is a schematic view of pressure and distributed performancemetric data during an initial heel-striking ground contact phase of arunning motion, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14B is a schematic view of both pressure and distributedperformance metric data for the shoe of FIG. 14A during a ground contactphase of a running motion;

FIG. 14C is a schematic view of both pressure and distributedperformance metric data for the shoe of FIG. 14A during a toe-off phaseof a running motion;

FIG. 15A is a schematic view of the distributed performance metric dataof FIG. 14A;

FIG. 15B is a schematic view of the distributed performance metric dataof FIG. 14B;

FIG. 15C is a schematic view of the distributed performance metric dataof FIG. 14C;

FIG. 16A is a schematic view of the combined distributed performancemetric data of FIGS. 14A to 14C, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 16B is a schematic plan view of an outsole for an article offootwear having structural characteristics based on the performancemetric data of FIG. 16A;

FIG. 16C is a schematic plan view of another outsole for an article offootwear having structural characteristics based on the performancemetric data of FIG. 16A;

FIGS. 17A-17B are plan and side views of a traction element for anoutsole element of an article of footwear, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 17C-17D are plan and side views of another traction element for anoutsole element of an article of footwear, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 17E-17F are plan and side views of another traction element for anoutsole element of an article of footwear, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 17G-17H are plan and side views of another traction element for anoutsole element of an article of footwear, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 171-17J are plan and side views of another traction element for anoutsole element of an article of footwear, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 17K-17L are plan and side views of another traction element for anoutsole element of an article of footwear, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 17M-17N are plan and side views of another traction element for anoutsole element of an article of footwear, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 170-17P are plan and side views of another traction element for anoutsole element of an article of footwear, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an outsole element for an article offootwear having a plurality of traction elements thereon, in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 19A is a schematic representation of a center of pressure vectorfor a foot of an athlete undergoing a heel-striking style ground contactphase of a running motion, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 19B is a schematic plan view of the center of pressure vector ofFIG. 16A with example data representative of the pressure at variouslocations along the center of pressure vector;

FIG. 20A is a schematic representation of a center of pressure vectorfor a foot of an athlete undergoing a midfoot-striking style groundcontact phase of a running motion, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 20B is a schematic plan view of the center of pressure vector ofFIG. 18A with example data representative of the pressure at variouslocations along the center of pressure vector;

FIG. 21A is a schematic representation of a center of pressure vectorfor a foot of an athlete undergoing a forefoot-striking style groundcontact phase of a running motion, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 21B is a schematic plan view of the center of pressure vector ofFIG. 19A with example data representative of the pressure at variouslocations along the center of pressure vector;

FIG. 22A is a schematic plan view of a distribution of grid sections forthe foot of FIG. 17A, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 22B is a schematic plan view of another distribution of gridsections for the foot of FIG. 17A, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 23A is a schematic representation of a method of creating astructural characteristic for an article of footwear based onperformance metric information using a circle packing analyticaltechnique, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 23B is a schematic representation of a method of creating astructural characteristic for an article of footwear based onperformance metric information using a Delaunay triangulation analyticaltechnique, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 23C is a schematic representation of a method of creating astructural characteristic for an article of footwear based onperformance metric information using a Voronoi diagram analyticaltechnique, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 24A to 24C are plan views of outsole plates for an article offootwear based on a single athletes measured performance data but withdifferent sets of selection criteria, in accordance with one embodimentof the invention;

FIGS. 25A to 25E are plan views of other outsole plates for an articleof footwear based on a single athletes measured performance data butwith different sets of selection criteria, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 26A and 26B are plan views of outsole plates for an article offootwear based on a first and second athletes measured performance dataanalyzed using the same selection criteria, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 27 is a side view of an outsole plate for a shoe of an athleteincluding base elements for insertable spikes, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 28A and 28B are plan views of outsole plates for left and rightshoes of an athlete based on measured performance data while runninground a corner portion of a track, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIGS. 29A and 29B are plan views of outsole plates for left and rightshoes of another athlete based on measured performance data whilerunning round a corner portion of a track, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 30A and 30B are plan views of outsole plates for left and rightshoes of the athlete of FIGS. 29A and 29B based on measured performancedata while running along a straight portion of a track, in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 31A and 31B are perspective views of the outsole plates of FIGS.30A and 30B;

FIG. 32A is a side view of a midsole for an article of footwear, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 32B is a plan view of the midsole of FIG. 32A;

FIG. 32C is a perspective view of the midsole of FIG. 32A;

FIG. 32D is a perspective view of a mathematical mesh used to design themidsole of FIG. 32A;

FIG. 33 is a schematic perspective view of a scalar hexahedron pressuremapping distribution for calculating a midsole mesh, in accordance withone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 34A is a lateral side view of another midsole for an article offootwear, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 34B is a medial side view of the midsole of FIG. 34A;

FIG. 34C is a top view of the midsole of FIG. 34A;

FIG. 34D is a bottom view of the midsole of FIG. 34A;

FIG. 34E is a perspective view of the midsole of FIG. 34A;

FIG. 34F is a another perspective view of the midsole of FIG. 34A;

FIG. 35 is a perspective bottom view of another midsole for an articleof footwear, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 36A is a lateral side view of an article of footwear, in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 36B is a medial side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 36A;

FIG. 36C is a top view of the article of footwear of FIG. 36A;

FIG. 36D is a bottom view of the article of footwear of FIG. 36A;

FIG. 36E is a perspective view of the article of footwear of FIG. 36A;

FIG. 37A is a bottom view of a midsole for an article of footwear havinghexagonal cells, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 37B is a side view of the midsole of FIG. 37A;

FIG. 37C is a perspective view of the midsole of FIG. 37A;

FIG. 37D is perspective view of the midsole of FIG. 37A withindentations in the bottom surface;

FIG. 38A is a bottom view of another midsole for an article of footwear,in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 38B is a perspective view of the midsole of FIG. 38A;

FIG. 39A is a bottom view of another midsole for an article of footwear,in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 39B is a side view of the midsole of FIG. 39A;

FIG. 40A is a bottom view of a midsole for an article of footwear havingcircular cells, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 40B is a side view of the midsole of FIG. 40A;

FIG. 41A is a bottom view of another midsole for an article of footwearhaving circular cells, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 41B is a side view of the midsole of FIG. 41A;

FIG. 42 is a perspective view of a midsole for an article of footwearhaving circular cells and a top plate, in accordance with one embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 43A is a bottom view of another midsole for an article of footwear,in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 43B is a side view of the midsole of FIG. 43A;

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of another midsole for an article offootwear, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 45 is a top view of a midsole for an article of footwear followinga shape of a foot, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 46 is a perspective view of a midsole for an article of footwearhaving triangular cells, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 47A is a perspective view of another midsole for an article offootwear having triangular cells, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 47B is a bottom view of the midsole of FIG. 47A;

FIG. 48 is a perspective view of another midsole for an article offootwear having triangular cells, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 49 is a perspective view of another midsole for an article offootwear having triangular cells, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 50 is a perspective view of another midsole for an article offootwear having triangular cells, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 51A is a bottom view of a midsole for an article of footwear havingspheroid-based cells, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 51B is a side view of the midsole of FIG. 51A;

FIG. 51C is a perspective view of the midsole of FIG. 51A;

FIG. 51D is a top view of the midsole of FIG. 51A;

FIG. 52 is a perspective view of another midsole for an article offootwear having spheroid-based cells, in accordance with one embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 53 is a perspective view of a warped matrix structure, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 54A is a side view of a foot-form formed using foot scan data, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 54B is a perspective view of the foot-form of FIG. 54A;

FIG. 55A is a side view of another foot-form formed using foot scandata, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 55B is a perspective view of the foot-form of FIG. 55A;

FIG. 56A is a top view of another foot-form formed using foot scan data,in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 56B is a side view of the foot-form of FIG. 56A;

FIG. 57 is a perspective view of a linkage system for a midsole for anarticle of footwear, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 58A is a perspective view of a midsole for an article of footwearincorporating the linkage system of FIG. 57, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 58B is a bottom view of the midsole of FIG. 58A;

FIG. 58C is another bottom view of the midsole of FIG. 58A, with thelinkages slightly extended;

FIG. 58D is a side view of the midsole of FIG. 58C;

FIG. 58E is a side view of the midsole of FIG. 58C with the angles ofcertain linkages modified;

FIGS. 59A through 59D are perspective views of a variety of outsoleplates having cleated traction elements, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 59E is a bottom view of another outsole plate having cleatedtraction elements, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 60A is a bottom view of an outsole plate having cleated tractionelements and flex grooves, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIGS. 60B through 60E are perspective views of a variety of outsoleplates having cleated traction elements and flex grooves, in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 61A is a schematic plan view of an outsole plate having a mappingstructure superimposed thereon, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 61B is a cleated outsole plate having cleats in positionscorresponding to the mapping structure of FIG. 61A;

FIGS. 62A through 62D are schematic plan views of outsole plates havingcleated traction elements positioned and oriented based on variousprocessing algorithms for processing athlete data, in accordance withone embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 63A through 63G show a number of steps in processing athlete datato produce a customized outsole plate having cleated traction elements,in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 64A is a top view of a cleated sole plate having hollow cleatedtraction elements, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 64B is a bottom view of the cleated sole plate of FIG. 64A;

FIG. 65 is a perspective view of an article of footwear including anupper with a ground contact element positioned within, and extendingthrough, the upper, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 66A is a top view of an article of footwear having a cleated soleplate, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 66B is a lateral side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 66A;

FIG. 66C is a bottom view of the sole plate of the article of footwearof FIG. 66A;

FIG. 66D is a lateral side view of the sole plate of the article offootwear of FIG. 66A;

FIG. 67A is a top view of an article of footwear having a cleated soleplate, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 67B is a lateral side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 67A;

FIG. 67C is a bottom view of the sole plate of the article of footwearof FIG. 67A;

FIG. 67D is a lateral side view of the sole plate of the article offootwear of FIG. 67A; and

FIG. 67E is a medial side view of the sole plate of the article offootwear of FIG. 67A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention described herein relates generally to methods and systemsfor designing and manufacturing an article of footwear, apparel, and/orsporting equipment (and, for example, a customized article of footwear),or one or more elements thereof, and customized or non-customizedfootwear, apparel, and/or sporting equipment manufactured using suchmethods and systems. More particularly, in one embodiment the inventionrelates to footwear, or footwear elements, that are specificallycustomized to meet one or more needs of an athlete to improve theperformance of the athlete during athletic activity and/or improve thecomfort of the article of footwear when worn.

The customization of footwear may be beneficial for numerous groups ofindividuals such as, but not limited to, athletes (who are looking forimproved performance from their footwear), people with medicalconditions (who are looking for footwear providing better support and/ortreatment for their specific condition), or casual runners or walkers,who are looking for footwear having both improved and customizedperformance benefits and/or a customized aesthetic look (including, forexample, decorative elements, trademarks, names, etc.). While thedescription herein relates generally to customizing footwear to provideimproved performance characteristics for an athlete, it should be notedthat the methods, algorithms, processes, and structures described hereinare equally applicable to customization of elements for any purpose andfor any user.

Customization of the footwear, or elements thereof, may include factorssuch as, but not limited to, customized size and shape to better fit awearer, customized cushioning to address one or more specificcharacteristic of an athlete's motion, customized traction elements onthe outsole (or ground contacting midsole) of the footwear to provideimproved grip during a specific athletic activity or activities,customized materials (e.g., specific materials used, material weight,material properties, etc.). Customization may also include specificallycreating footwear, and footwear elements, to meet an athlete'sindividual preferred aesthetic and/or performance needs.

The invention described herein allows for the customization of entirearticles of footwear (e.g., shoes, flip-flops, sandals, socks, athleticsupports such as compression support elements) and/or the customizationof elements of the article of footwear for incorporation into a finishedarticle. Example footwear elements include, but are not limited to, anoutsole, midsole, and/or insole for a shoe and/or customized elementsfor placement within an outsole, midsole, and/or insole such as anelement for insertion into or attachment to (e.g., through mechanicalattachment, bonding, or other appropriate attachment means) the sole ofa shoe at a specific region thereof (e.g., in a heel, midfoot, and/orforefoot region).

Customization of the footwear, or footwear elements, can be based on anumber of physical, performance (e.g., kinematic performance), and/oruser preference characteristics associated with an individual or groupof individuals. For example, in addition to standard parameters such asshoe size, physical characteristics such as the shape of an individual'sfoot including, for example, bone structure, callous distribution on thefoot, injuries (both historical and/or likely in the future), ankleshape, range of motion, strength, toe shape, and preference for hosiery(e.g., socks, tights, or leggings) or no hosiery, and/or strapping(e.g., ankle and/or foot support strapping or taping) to be worn withthe footwear can all be accounted for in the design and manufacture ofshoes specifically customized for a given wearer or subset of wearers.Other parameters may include, or consist essentially of, breathabilitycharacteristics, perspiration characteristics, circulationconsiderations, and/or diabetes factors (such as, but not limited to,minimization of friction within the shoe).

Additional features of an individual not directly associated with thefoot can also have an effect on the athletic performance of theindividual, with customized footwear potentially addressing limitationsor weaknesses in the individual's mechanics and/or supporting strengthsin the individual's mechanics. Such features that may influencecustomization of the footwear or apparel include, but are not limitedto, an individual's height, weight, age, gender, bone structure, legbone length (e.g., calf length and/or thigh length), general level ofphysical fitness, medical history and/or medical requirements. Medicalrequirements that may be addressed through use of customized footwearcomponents may include elements such as structural support forconditions such as, but not limited to, problems with the muscles,tendons, bones, and or skin of the foot such as flat feet, fallenarches, hammer toe, gout, edema (swelling), leg length discrepancy,amputation, hallux deformities or other foot deformities, Morton'sneuroma, problems with leg or knee alignment, and/or planar fasciitis,or cushioned and substantially frictionless support for diabetics.

Performance aspects of a specific athlete, or subset of athletes, suchas, but not limited to, footstrike location (e.g., heel-strike, midfootstrike, or forefoot strike during initial ground contact of a footduring a gait cycle or other athletic motion), stride length, striderate (i.e., cadence), pronation or supination of the foot uponfoot-strike, pivoting of the foot during ground strike and toe-off,running style, running speed, circulation, breathability, and/orflexibility of one or more joints, may be addressed throughcustomization of the footwear, with specific performance characteristicsbeing supported or compensated for, as needed, to improve theperformance of the athlete during athletic activity and/or improve thecomfort of the footwear worn during the athletic activity.

In addition, the performance requirements of a specific athleticactivity can be taken into account when customizing footwear for aspecific athlete or subset of athletes. For example, tractionrequirements for a runner (such as a track runner, a road runner, or across-country runner) may be different depending on whether the runneris a sprinter or long distance runner, and/or whether the runnerrequires the traction elements on the sole of the footwear to accountfor running around a corner (e.g., on a standard indoor or outdoorathletic track), or whether the running is to be carried out in apredominantly straight line (e.g., during road racing or jogging).Customization of footwear may also depend upon the weather and underfootconditions in which the athlete is performing with, for example,different traction requirements being needed for wet/dry conditionsand/or soft/firm underfoot conditions. In addition, different sports mayrequire different shapes, sizes, and/or configurations of tractionelements (e.g., spikes, cleats or studs, gripping elements, and/or treadpatterns) with, for example, cleats for soccer, American football, fieldhockey, baseball, etc. all requiring different cleat-types andconfigurations, and with different positions within each of these sportspotentially requiring different performance features from the tractionelements.

Other athletic activities for which footwear can be customized includeactivities with significant cutting-type motions (e.g., basketball,baseball, softball, soccer, American Football, field hockey, ice hockey,ice skating, speed skating, rugby, tennis, squash, racquetball,skateboarding, cycling, etc.) where an individual's technique andphysical characteristics can vary greatly from person to person, andwhere specifically customized traction elements, support elements,and/or structural support zones can greatly improve the individualsperformance of the athletic motion. Other activities such as jumping,crouching, kicking, throwing, turning, spinning, etc. can also beaccounted for in creating traction elements that enhance or support theunique combination of performance characteristics of a specific athleteand/or activity.

Customization of footwear for an athlete can be performed, in accordancewith various embodiments of the invention, by utilizing analytical toolsto process input parameters specific to an athlete (or group ofathletes) to generate a design including physical elements specificallylocated and constructed to address the specific performance and physicalcharacteristics of the athlete. The design can then be manufactured toproduce an article of footwear, and/or footwear element, that is uniqueto the athlete.

An example method for designing at least a portion of a sole of anarticle of footwear customized for an athlete is shown in FIG. 1. Themethod includes the steps of obtaining/determining 105 one or more inputparameters related to the athlete and analyzing 110 the input parametersto determine at least one performance metric of a foot of the user. Theat least one performance metric is then used to determine 115 one ormore structural characteristic of at least a portion of a sole of anarticle of footwear for the athlete based on the performance metric,after which the customized sole portion can be manufactured 120, forexample through use of additive/rapid manufacturing techniques such as,but not limited to, rapid manufacturing methods (e.g., selective lasersintering).

In various embodiments the input parameter(s) can include experimentalperformance data, measured biometric information, and/or selected userpreference and/or performance information. The input parameter(s) mayrelate directly to one or more characteristic of at least a portion of afoot of the user, and/or include characteristics associated with thelegs and/or upper body of the athlete (such as height, weight, leglength, athletic ability, injury, etc.) and/or to the performancerequirements of the athletic activity for which the shoe is beingcustomized.

In one embodiment of the invention the input parameters used to designthe customized shoe component include experimental data representativeof a performance characteristic of the foot during at least a portion ofa ground contact phase of a gait cycle or other athletic motion. Anexample system for obtaining the experimental data is shown in FIG. 2.In this embodiment, an athlete 125 performs the athletic activity forwhich the shoe is to be customized (e.g., track running) in anenvironment including data gathering equipment designed to capture andrecord data representative of various performance characteristics of thefoot of the athlete 125 during the athletic activity. In the example ofFIG. 2, the data gathering equipment includes a force plate 130 forcapturing the force between the foot 135 of the athlete 125 and theground 145, and an array of pressure sensors 140 located between thefoot 135 and the ground 145. The pressure sensors 140 may be located inan insole placed within a shoe 150 of the athlete 125. In alternativeembodiments the pressure sensors 140 can be embedded within a midsole155 of the shoe 150 or located within or attached to a ground contactingoutsole 157 of the shoe 150. Alternatively, or in addition, pressuresensors, or any other sensors utilized in the methods described herein,can be located at any appropriate location on the foot, leg, and/orupper body of an athlete. An example shoe 150 for an athlete 125 isshown in FIG. 3, with an example coordinate system 160 providing axes oforientation for the data capturing systems. The shoe includes an upper158 and a sole 152 (including an insole and the outsole 157 and midsole155), with a foot receiving cavity 159 defined by the upper 158 and sole152. The shoe 150 may be a slip-on style shoe or havetightening/fastening means such as, but not limited to, lacing,hook-and-loop fastening, zippers, cords, elastic elements, buttons,and/or buckles.

In one embodiment the pressure sensors 140 form part of a portable datacapture system worn by the athlete 125 during athletic activity, withthe pressure sensors 140 located within the shoe 150 and coupled to adata capture system that can power the sensors, record the data obtainedfrom the sensors, and/or wirelessly transmit the data to a dataprocessing system for analysis. In an alternative embodiment thepressure data capture system can merely record the pressure data duringathletic activity and then transfer the data to the data processingsystem through either a wireless or wired connection at a later time. Ina further alternative embodiment the data processing system may belocated within the portable data capture system.

In one embodiment the pressure sensors 140 include a distribution ofseparate sensor elements 180 arranged in an array for placing betweenthe sole of the foot 135 and the ground 140 (for example within aninsole 187 placed within the shoe 150 of the athlete 125). Examplesensor arrays can be seen in FIGS. 5A and 5B, with FIG. 5A showing anarray having two hundred and nineteen sensor elements 180 arranged in aregular distribution, and FIG. 5B showing an array having fifty ninesensor elements 180 arranged in a regular distribution. In alternativeembodiments any size of sensor array may be utilized (e.g., 10, 20, 50,99, 100, 200, 500, etc. sensor elements 180), with the sensor elements180 arranged regularly or in an irregular pattern (e.g., with highimportance/impact regions containing more sensor elements 180). Asdiscussed above, each sensor element 180 can form part of a portabledata capture including elements for powering the system, recording datafrom each pressure element 180, and/or transmitting the data foranalysis.

In one embodiment the force plate 130 is embedded within, fixed to, orplaced on the ground 140, with the athlete running over the force plate140 during data capture. In an alternative embodiment force sensors maybe positioned on or in the sole of the shoe 150 and may form part of theportable data capture system.

In one embodiment, a single coordinate system associated with either theoutsole 155 of the shoe 150, the ground 145, the sole of the footitself, or any other appropriate element of the foot can be utilized tocapture and process the data. An example embodiment with a singlecoordinate system 160 is shown in FIG. 4A. In an alternative embodimentmultiple coordinate systems relating to various elements of the foot 135and shoe 150 can be utilized. For example, FIG. 4B shows a system havinga first coordinate system 160 associated with the forefoot 165 of theshoe 150 and a second coordinate system 170 associated with a heelportion 175 of the shoe 150. Utilizing multiple coordinate systemsallows the gathered data to be processed and oriented with respect tothe sole of the foot 135, or any other appropriate element of the foot,at numerous locations along the foot 135 regardless of the flexing ofthe foot during the ground contact phase of the gait cycle. This may, incertain embodiments, allow for more accurate processing and analysis ofthe data with respect to the performance metrics required for aparticular customization goal, although in certain embodiments a singleaxis system, as shown in FIG. 4A, may be sufficient to provide accurateanalytical results.

The system of FIG. 2 allows for the simultaneous measurement of both thepressure distribution over the sole of the foot 135 throughout theground contact phase of the gait cycle and the force interaction betweenat least a portion of the sole of the foot and the ground surface duringat least a portion of the ground contact phase of the gait cycle. In oneembodiment, the pressure sensors 140 measure only the normal pressurebetween the ground 145 and the foot 135, while the force plate 130measures the force between foot 135 and ground 140 in all threedirections of the coordinate system 160, thereby allowing for thecalculation of both the magnitude and vertical and horizontal directionof the force between the foot 135 and ground 140 throughout the groundcontact phase. Measuring both normal pressure distribution over the soleof the foot 135 and force vector data allows for the calculation ofperformance metrics identifying both the magnitude of the force beingapplied between foot 135 and ground 140 and the direction of thatinteraction at multiple locations on the foot 135 throughout the groundcontact phase.

In an alternative embodiment the pressure sensors 140 may measure thepressure in all three directions of a coordinate system (i.e., normal,posterior, and lateral) associated with the foot 135, thereby allowingfor directional data to be obtained without the need for separatethree-dimensional force measurements. In a further alternativeembodiment, the normal pressure distribution data over the sole of thefoot 135 may be integrated with respect to time to produce directionalvector data representative of the direction of the force between thefoot 135 and the ground 140 throughout the ground contact phase, againallowing for directional data to be obtained without the need for aseparate force plate.

Example pressure data for four different athletes can be seen in FIGS.6A through 9C. More particularly, FIGS. 6A, 7A, 8A, and 9A show pressuredistribution data for four athletes at approximately the point ofinitial contact with the ground during a footstrike, with FIG. 6Ashowing the pressure distribution for an initial strike of the groundwithin the region of the heel (a heel-strike) by a first athlete duringa straight run, FIGS. 7A and 8A showing the pressure distribution for aninitial strike of the ground within the region of the midfoot (amidfoot-strike) for second and third athletes during a straight run, andFIG. 9A showing the pressure distribution for an initial strike of theground within the region of the forefoot (a forefoot-strike) for afourth athlete during a straight run. Similarly, FIGS. 6B, 7B, 8B, and9B show the pressure distribution on the sole of the foot of the fourathletes just prior to the foot leaving the ground at the end of thefootstrike event (i.e., prior to toe-off) during a straight run. FIGS.6C, 7C, 8C, and 9C show pressure distributions on both the left andright feet of the four athletes prior to toe-off while the athletes arerunning around a corner on a standard 400 m athletic track. The pressuredistribution maps of FIGS. 6A through 9C show contour maps of pressurein kilopascals (kPa) based on experimental pressure data retrieved froma ninety-nine sensor array embedded within an insole 190 of a shoe ofeach athlete, with the center(s) 195 of each shaded contour maprepresenting the locations of highest pressure normal to the surface ofthe insole 190, and the unshaded portions 197 representing areas whereno substantial normal pressure was measured (for example because thatportion of the foot was not in contact with the ground at that time).

As can be seen, the pressure distributions during the initial footstrikephase of the ground contact vary considerably from athlete to athlete,with the center of pressure for the heel-striking athlete located withinthe heel region 200, while the center of pressure for the midfootstriking athletes is distributed through the midfoot region 205, and thecenter of pressure for the forefoot striking athlete is located withinthe forefoot region 210. In addition, the maximal pressure readingslocated at the center of pressure in the midfoot striking athletes has asignificantly lower maximal value than that measured for the heelstriker and forefoot striker, as the load at initial ground contact isdistributed over a larger area for a midfoot striker than for a heel andtoe striker.

While the pressure distributions during the toe-off phase are moresimilar, again differences in the pressure distributions betweenathletes can be observed, with the center of pressure and distributionof pressure differing considerably from athlete to athlete. For example,the athlete of FIG. 7B shows a pressure spike near the fourth toe region215, which is not observed for the other athletes, and each athleteshows a different pressure distribution around their metatarsal headregion 220 (i.e., the head of the metatarsal bones adjoining the toebones). The variation in results at the metatarsal region is due, forexample, to variations in running style and also to differences in theshape and configuration of the metatarsal heads in each athlete. As aresult, it is clear to see that the interaction between the foot and theground for different athletes can vary considerably depending, forexample, on the running technique of each athlete and the physicalcharacteristics of the foot of each athlete. This identification of theunique features of the ground interaction for a given athlete can bemeasured and analyzed by appropriate algorithms to ensure that the shoeof the wearer is optimally designed to enhance the performance of eachathlete based on their own individual input parameters.

Further variation between the pressure distributions can be seen inFIGS. 6C, 7C, 8C, and 9C, which show the pressure distributions on boththe left and right feet of the four athletes prior to toe-off while theathletes are running (in a standard anti-clockwise direction) around acorner on a standard 400 m athletic track. As can be seen, the pressuredistributions on the left and right feet of each athlete are notperfectly symmetrical, with the different ground interactions betweenthe ground and the shoe on each foot being affected by the corneringaction of the athlete. In addition, while the pressure distributions arenot perfectly symmetrical, the force measurements for each foot aresignificantly different, with the force oriented toward the outer edgeof a curved track (i.e., on the inner foot the force is oriented towardsthe instep of the foot while on the outer foot the force is orientedtowards the outer side of the foot). Allowing customization between leftand right foot to account for this differentiation in pressure and forcedistribution may be beneficial for an athlete when running in an eventrequiring cornering at high speed. In various embodiments the methodsand systems described herein can be utilized to provide customizedfootwear for any type of running track such as, but not limited to,standard 200 m tracks or 400 m tracks and/or tracks having any angle ofbanking in corners and/or along the straight.

Example raw pressure measurement data showing pressure data in kPa for aninety-nine pressure sensor element insole for the four differentathletes at the point of initial ground contact can be seen in FIGS. 10Athrough 10D, with FIG. 10A showing the heel-strike athlete data, FIGS.10B and 10C showing the two midfoot strike athlete data sets, and FIG.10D show the forefoot striking athlete data. Also shown for each dataset is the center of pressure vector 189 for each athlete over the fullcourse of a footstrike event.

Example force data taken from a force plate 130 over the full length ofa footstrike event can be seen in FIGS. 11A and 11B, with FIG. 11Ashowing the force data for a heel-striking athlete and FIG. 11B showingforce data for a midfoot striking athlete. In the graphs the verticalaxis represents the measured force in a given axis (in Newtons (N))while the horizontal axis represents the time (normalized such that‘0.0’ represents the initial ground contact and ‘100.0’ represents thetoe-off). For each figure, the top graph, with the vertical axis labeled“Force (N)”, represents the vertical component of force applied to thefoot 135 by the ground 145 perpendicular to the ground (i.e., along theaxis ‘Z’ in the coordinate system 160), the middle graph, with thevertical axis labeled “Force (N-Posterior)”, represents the horizontalcomponent of force applied to the foot 135 by the ground 145 parallelwith the direction of travel (i.e., along the axis ‘X’ in the coordinatesystem 160), and the lower graph, with the vertical axis labeled “Force(N-Lateral)”, represents the horizontal component of force applied tothe foot 135 by the ground 145 perpendicular to the direction of travel(i.e., axis ‘Y’ in the coordinate system 160). As can be seen, the forcebetween the foot 135 and the ground 145 changes dramatically over thelength of the footstrike event for each athlete and also differsconsiderably for a heel-strike type running motion and a midfoot-striketype running motion.

In one embodiment, a plurality of pressure sensors may be positioned onthe ground rather than be embedded in or attached to a portion of thefoot, with the sensors measuring the pressure applied by a foot as itmakes contact with the sensor array located on the ground.

In various embodiments the experimental data may include othermeasurements in addition to, or instead of, the pressure and/or forcedata captured by the system of FIG. 2. Such measurement systems mayinclude sensors for measuring elements such as, but not limited to,position, velocity, acceleration, rotational velocity, rotationalacceleration, a change in shape of at least a portion of a foot,friction, mass distribution, energy distribution, stress, strain,temperature, distortion, moisture levels, and/or a time over which anevent occurs. Such sensors can be used to measure events such as groundcontact time, initial footstrike location, toe-off position,pronation/supination characteristics and/or a change in shape and/orposition of at least a portion of the foot of the user during at least aportion of the ground contact phase of the gait cycle or other athleticmotion, in addition to, or instead of, measuring force/pressure vectorsassociated with the interaction between the foot 135 and ground 140. Anexample portable system adapted to identify parameters associated withan athlete's performance (such as, but not limited to, foot-strikelocation) during athletic activity is described in U.S. PatentPublication No. 2013-0041617 A1, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

Various sensor(s) for use with the methods and systems described hereinmay include, or consist essentially of, accelerometers, pressuresensors, force sensors, optical stress/strain sensors, temperaturesensors, chemical sensors, global positioning systems, piezoelectricsensors, rotary position sensors, magnetometers, gyroscopic sensors,heart-rate sensors, and/or goniometers. Other sensors, such as, but notlimited to, electrocardiograph sensors, electrodermograph sensors,electroencephalograph sensors, electromyography sensors, feedbackthermometer sensors, photoplethysmograph sensors, and/or pneumographsensors may also be utilized in various embodiments of the invention.Parameters relating to moisture in the body may, for example, bemeasured using any appropriate sensor for measuring skin conductancefactors (e.g., galvanic skin response (GSR), electrodermal response(EDR), psychogalvanic reflex (PGR), skin conductance response (SCR) orskin conductance level (SCL) sensors).

For example, one embodiment of the invention may include one or moreshear stress sensors on the sole of the shoe, with the distributed shearstress measurements providing directional data representative of thedirection of interaction between the foot 135 and the ground 140. Stressand/or strain measurements on the sole on a shoe can also be used todetermine flexing of the shoe and foot during a foot-strike event. Thisdata may be used in addition to, or instead of, pressure and/or forcedata to determine the magnitude and direction of the interactionsbetween the foot 135 and ground 140 during a footstrike event.

The above list of measurement options is not limiting, and in variousembodiments of the invention any appropriate sensor, or combination ofsensors, may be utilized to capture data representative of theperformance of an athlete 125 in carrying out an athletic activity, withthis data being used as input parameters for analyzing the athlete'sparticular performance traits to allow for the designing of customizedfootwear elements. More particularly, each of the data sets andperformance characteristics identified through the above measurementoptions can change dramatically depending upon the specific athletictechnique and physical characteristics of an athlete, and themeasurement of any of these elements may therefore be extremely helpfulin identifying performance metrics that can be used to customize a shoefor a particular athlete.

The data gathered for any of the experimental measurements describedherein can be sampled at any appropriate rate, but generally at a ratesufficient to capture the progression of the measurements throughout aground contact portion of a gait cycle in sufficient detail to allow forcustomization to the level of accuracy required by the athlete. Invarious examples sample rates of about 10 Hz, 20 Hz, 50 Hz, 100 Hz, or200 Hz may be utilized, although different rates, and larger or smallerrates, may be used as appropriate. In one embodiment the gathered datamay be averaged over any appropriate number of foot-strike events toprovide an averaged representation of the athlete's performancecharacteristics. In one embodiment the raw data may be filtered usingany appropriate filtering technique (e.g., high-pass, low-pass, and/orButterworth filtering) to filter out non-essential information andensure that only the appropriate data is analyzed in the customizationalgorithms. For example, in one embodiment high-pass type filtering maybe applied to the results to filter out data below a set magnitude andonly allow higher magnitude data to be processed in the customizeddesign algorithms. In addition, various forms of data smoothing may beapplied to the data to provide further filtering of the results (forexample where an arrangement of traction elements needs to be structuredto control differences in size, shape, orientation, etc. betweenadjacent traction elements).

In one embodiment the input parameters for the customized design processmay include one or more physical characteristics of a foot 135 of theathlete 125 in addition to, or instead of, the experimental datadescribed herein. Such physical characteristics may include, but are notlimited to, physiological structural characteristics of the foot and/orbody such as at least one of a shape, a size, a wear pattern, an injuryprofile, a bone structure, a ligament structure, a sweat glanddistribution, a moisture level, a circulation arrangement or metric, amuscle activity, a friction metric, a blood pressure, a heart rate, avolume change, a hydration level, a perspiration level, a ligamentstructure, a toe shape and/or distribution (e.g., length and relativeposition of toes, relative location of metatarsal heads, etc.), an archshape, and/or a heel shape (e.g., calcaneus shape). Such physicalcharacteristics may, for example, be measured manually, scanned andrecorded through an automated 2D or 3D scanning device, or determinedthrough 3D processing of photographic images of the foot 135.

An example method for analyzing the input parameters, and morespecifically input parameters such as normal pressure distribution dataand three-component force data, to produce performance metrics to beused in the customization of footwear can be seen in FIGS. 12A through16A. In this embodiment, the pressure data and force data can beprocessed and multiplied together to create vectors (having both amagnitude and direction) representative of the interaction between theground 145 and the foot 135, over the full sole area of the foot, withthe resulting vectors being used to identify locations and distributionsof structural characteristics of the footwear that best address therequirements of the individual athlete.

FIGS. 12A-12C show schematic representations of pressure data measuredby pressure sensor elements 180 using the insole 187 of FIG. 5B, withFIG. 12A showing pressure measurements at or around initial groundcontact for a heel-striking athlete, FIG. 12B showing pressuremeasurements for that athlete at approximately a midpoint of the groundcontact phase, and FIG. 12C showing pressure measurements for thatathlete just prior to toe-off. The magnitude of the pressure normal tothe surface of the insole 187 is represented by the size of the shadedcircles 225 placed over each sensor element 180, with a larger pressureindicated by a larger circle and smaller pressures represented by asmaller circle. As can be seen, the measurements show a movement of thepressure from near the heel 190 of the insole (at initial heel-strike),through the midfoot region 205, and towards the forefoot region 207 (attoe-off) during a full ground contact event. As discussed above, thespecific variation in pressure magnitude and distribution can varygreatly from athlete to athlete. While only three time steps within afootstrike event are shown in FIGS. 12A though 12C any appropriatenumber of time steps may be used in a full analysis of the inputparameters depending upon the sample rates of the measurement devicesutilized and the requirements of the processing algorithms beingutilized.

FIGS. 13A through 13C show the same pressure data as in FIGS. 12A-12Cbut also add in the horizontal component of force 230 exerted by thefoot 135 on the ground 145 measured by the force plate 140 at that time(with the horizontal component of force represented by a vector 230showing the direction of the horizontal component of force (with therelative magnitude of the force represented by the length of thevector). As can be seen, for the heel-strike type ground contactrepresented, the foot 135 exerts a relatively large force insubstantially the direction of travel of the foot upon initialfootstrike, with relatively little horizontal force applied during themiddle of the footstrike event, and with a relatively large forcesubstantially backwards in the opposite direction to the direction oftravel at toe-off.

The pressure and force data can then be processed to determineappropriate performance metrics to be used in customization. In thisembodiment, the pressure data at each point is multiplied by the forcevector at that time to produce a vector representative of thefoot/ground interaction at each point on the sole of the foot at eachtime step within the footstrike event to obtain Performance MetricVectors (PMV) according to the following formulation:

PMV_(at each time step)=Function of {C₁×Pressure×Force}_(at each time step)

Where C₁ is an appropriate multiplication/adjustment factor.

FIGS. 14A through 14C show the resulting performance metric vectors 235calculated using the data of FIGS. 13A through 13C, with the pressuredata at each point indicated by the circles 225, with the length of thevectors 235 representative of the magnitude of the vector. FIGS. 15Athrough 15C shows the performance metric vectors 235 at the three showntime steps with all other information removed from the figures. Once theperformance metric vectors 235 have been calculated for each time step,the final performance metrics at each location over the sole can bedetermined by, in one embodiment, summing the individual PerformanceMetric Vectors at each location for each time step according to thefollowing function:

PMV_(aggregate)=Sum of [C ₂×PMV{t ₁ ,t ₂ ,t ₃ , . . . t _(N)}]

Where C₂ is an appropriate multiplication/adjustment factor.

The resulting distribution of performance metric vectors (PMV) can beseen in FIG. 16A, with each vector 240 representative of the sum totalof the performance metric vectors at each time step at that location onthe sole. These vectors 240 provide an indication of the magnitude anddirection of the horizontal component of the interaction between ground145 and foot 135 over the course of the ground contact event.

In various embodiments correction factors C₁ and C₂ can be used toweight and/or adjust the results to ensure that the resultingperformance metric vectors are representative of the performancecharacteristics of importance in the analysis. For example, correctionfactors may be used to ensure that the results at each location focus onthe magnitude and direction of the vectors during peak loading of thesole at that location while filtering out magnitude and directionresults during low loading time periods of the ground-strike event. Inan alternative embodiment no correction factor is required.

Once the performance metric vectors have been generated, thisinformation can be utilized to determine a structural characteristic ofat least a portion of a sole of an article of footwear for the userbased on the performance metric. For example, for embodiments where thefootwear is to be customized to improve traction during a ground contactevent, the performance metric vectors can be used to orient anddistribute traction elements over the surface of an outsole or groundcontacting midsole portion of a shoe (or portions thereof), with thesize, shape, and/or distribution of the traction elements dependent uponthe magnitude of the performance metric vectors in a specific region ofthe outsole. Example outsoles for an article of footwear includingcustomized traction elements 245 based on the performance metric vectors240 of FIG. 16A can be seen in FIGS. 16B and 16C.

In FIG. 16B, the traction elements 245 are arranged in a regular patterncorresponding to the locations of the pressure sensor elements 180utilized during the measurement of the input parameters. In analternative embodiment, such as that shown in FIG. 16C, the tractionelements 245 can be located in any regular or non-regular patternindependent of the specific locations of the pressure sensor elements180 utilized during the measurement of the input parameters.

The traction elements 245 may be asymmetrically constructed such thatthey include a leading edge 250 and a trailing edge 255, with thetraction provided by the traction elements 245 being optimized whenoriented such that the leading edge 250 is perpendicular to thedirection of the performance metric vectors, hereby providing customizedand optimized traction in the direction most important to theperformance of the specific athlete. Various example directionallyoriented traction elements 245 are shown in FIGS. 17A through 18, witheach traction element 245 having a preferred orientation with a leadingedge 250 (either an elongate edge or a point) oriented in the directionof the performance metric vectors for a specific athlete.

Various embodiments of the traction elements 245 can include an undercut257 which is designed to produce a sharper leading edge 250, therebyimproving traction in the direction facing the leading edge 250. Thesize and shape of the undercut 257 can also affect and control theflexibility of the traction elements 245 during ground interaction, witha larger undercut 257 producing a thinner, and therefore more flexible,traction element 245 (for the same configuration of sloped back portion259). Certain embodiments of the traction elements 245 can include asloped back portion 259, which can potentially reduce the tractionproduced by the traction element 245 in the direction facing the slopedback portion 259. As a result, traction can be customized to producegreater traction in certain directions (e.g., the directions associatedwith the ground interaction at various locations on the foot throughouta foot-strike event, while reducing traction, and therefore reducingfriction, in directions in which high traction is not required and infact may be detrimental to performance. Careful shaping of the tractionelements 245 can also allow for minimization of the material used (andtherefore the weight of material required) without compromising theperformance of the traction elements 245.

In one embodiment the traction elements 245 can be customized such thatthe size of the traction elements 245 varies depending upon themagnitude and/or direction of the performance metric vector in thatregion. Alternatively, or in addition, the number of traction elements245 can vary depending upon the magnitude and/or direction ofperformance metric vectors in that region with, for example, a largernumber of traction elements 245 clustered in regions having highmagnitudes of performance metric vectors. In various embodiments anyappropriate distribution of traction elements, tread patterns, and/orspike patterns, and traction element/tread/spike orientation, shape,and/or configuration, can be utilized to customize the outsole,depending upon the specific performance characteristics required of theathletic activity at issue and/or the athletes aesthetic and/orperformance preferences.

Various embodiments of the invention may include different and/oradditional methods of processing the input parameter information toobtain performance metric information for use in customizing a shoe. Forexample, rather than providing separate performance metric vectors foreach measured location on the sole of the foot, the information can beaveraged over a number of predetermined zones (e.g., a heel zone, amidfoot zone, and a forefoot zone) with different performance metricvectors, and therefore different sizes and orientations of tractionelements, for each different zone, and with the same orientation andsize of traction element being distributed throughout an individualzone. This may be achieved, for example, by using the raw pressuredistribution data at each time step to estimate a center of pressure forthat time step, and then generating a vector using the centre ofpressure data for each time step to provide the center of pressurevector for a footstrike for an individual athlete. As with thedistributed pressure data, the center of pressure data can differgreatly for different athletes and can therefore provide valuabledifferentiating information to allow for the customization of thefootwear for a specific athlete.

Example schematic center of pressure vectors 250 for various footstriketypes can be seen in FIGS. 19A through 21B, with a center of pressurevector 250, along with representative force vectors 230 and summedpressure measurements 255 shown for a heel striker (FIGS. 19A and 19B),a midfoot striker (FIGS. 20A and 20B), and forefoot striker (FIGS. 21Aand 21B). Example zones 260 into which the performance metric vectorsfor each location along the center of pressure vector 250 are utilizedin the customization process can be seen in FIGS. 22A and 22B, with FIG.22A showing a sole 265 divided into eight separate zones 260 dividedequally along the length of the sole 265, and FIG. 22B showing sevenzones 260 of differing lengths and shapes covering the sole 265. Invarious embodiments any distribution of zones 260 may be utilizeddepending upon the level of customization required.

In one embodiment, the performance metric information (e.g., performancemetric vectors) may be further analyzed to determine the specifics ofthe distribution of traction elements within the outsole. Examplegeometrical and mathematical modeling techniques that may be utilized toanalyze the input parameters and/or performance metric information todesign the customized footwear elements may include, but are not limitedto, circle packing, Delaunay triangulation, and/or Voronoi decomposition(or Voronoi tessellation/Voronoi diagrams).

An example analytical method, as shown in FIG. 23A, includes the use ofcircle packing, whereby an arrangement of circles 280 of equal orvarying sizes on a given surface (e.g., a shoe sole 265) can beoptimized such that no overlapping occurs and so that all circles 280touch another. The number of circles, the size of the circles (eitheruniform or of differing sizes), and the localized distribution of thecircles can be controlled depending upon the specific requirements ofthe system. In one embodiment performance metric information (e.g., themagnitude of the performance metric vectors at various locationsthroughout the sole) can be used as an input to the circle packingalgorithm, with the magnitude of the performance metric vectors in agiven region controlling the size and/or number of circles 280 in thatregion. Using control inputs such as, but not limited to, the number ofcircles 280 to be distributed throughout the sole 265 and/or the maximumand minimum size of the circles to be distributed throughout the sole265 as additional inputs allows the circle packing algorithm to processthe performance metric information to generate an optimized distributionof traction elements 245 based on the specific inputs provided with, forexample, a traction element 245 positioned at the center of each circle280.

Another analytical method, as shown in FIG. 23B, includes the use ofDelaunay triangulation to distribute the traction elements 245 atoptimal positions within the sole 265 through optimized triangulation ofthe input parameter data and/or performance metric data. In thisanalytical method, the raw input parameter data and/or performancemetric data can be utilized to create a plurality of triangles 285optimally distributed through the sole 265, with traction elementsthereafter located at the central apex of each triangle 285. Another,related, analytical method includes the use of a Voronoi tessellation,which is a method of dividing space into a number of regions where aplurality of points (otherwise known as seeds, sites, or generators) isspecified beforehand and where the algorithm results in the utilizationof the seed point to generate a plurality of Voronoi vertices or nodes290, which represent points equidistant to three (or more) sites.Utilization of input parameter data and/or performance metric data ascontrol elements for the Voronoi tessellation algorithms allows for thecreation and distribution of Voronoi cells 295 (the region betweennodes) that can be optimized to identify locations for traction elements245.

In addition to using experimental data representative of a performancecharacteristic of the foot and/or physical characteristics of a foot ofthe user as input parameters, aesthetic and/or performance basedpreferences of an athlete can be used to assist in the customization ofthe footwear. For example, the importance of elements such as, but notlimited to, the size, distribution, and shape of traction elements, thelevel of traction required, the durability of the footwear, theflexibility of the footwear, and/or the weight of the footwear may varyfrom athlete to athlete. As a result, one embodiment of the inventionallows for an athlete to control the design of the customized footweardepending upon the relevant importance of various controllable userpreference-based input parameters or selection criteria. In thisembodiment, the experimental performance data and/or the physicalcharacteristic data is used to create a baseline customized sole withtraction elements distributed to optimize traction for specific user.This baseline customization can then be modified to account for userpreferences, for example by reducing the size of the traction elementsand/or creating voids between traction elements to reduce weight (wherelow weight is more important to the athlete than improved traction) orto vary the shape, size, and distribution of the traction elements whereone specific traction element type is considered more comfortable,better performing, and/or more aesthetically pleasing to an athlete. Inone embodiment different traction element and spike shapes may beselected depending upon underfoot conditions and surfaces, weatherconditions, and/or athletic activity being performed. In addition, asstraight running and running around a curve produce differentperformance metrics for an athlete and each shoe of the athlete, anathlete can select, as an input parameter, the extent to which thetraction element distribution and orientation is weighted by thestraight running input parameter data and the curved running inputparameter data. In one embodiment different performance requirements andtraction requirements may be needed or preferred for different races(e.g., for a sprint, a middle distance event, a long distance event, ahurdling event, etc.)

In one embodiment a shoe may be adapted to receive detachable andinterchangeable outsole elements (e.g., outsole spike plates) or groundcontacting midsole element, allowing the traction of the shoe to beadjusted by replacing the outsole elements depending upon the specificrequirements of the athlete. For example, an athlete may have a numberof different outsole elements customized for various weather conditions,underfoot conditions, races, and other relevant parameters, with theathlete free to select the most appropriate plates for a specific event.

In one embodiment the customized physical characteristic of the outsoleof the footwear may include, or consist essentially of, a tread pattern,with the specific pattern shape and orientation customized to addressthe specific performance metric information and user preferenceinformation of a specific athlete.

In one embodiment the weight can be reduced by removing material fromcarefully selected regions of the outsole through the creation ofcavities or voids. The voids may be placed strategically to only belocated in regions where less significant traction is needed (such as inthe midfoot region for a heel striker) and/or in regions where theaddition of voids would not adversely affect the structural integrity ofthe outsole. The creation of voids and/or cavities can also createregions of increased flexibility, which may beneficially affect theperformance of the footwear for some athletes.

Example configurations of footwear outsoles, and more particularlyoutsole plates for a track spike shoe, are shown in FIGS. 24A through24C. Each of the three plates shown is generated from the same inputparameters and performance metrics, with the variations in the finisheddesigns and configurations based upon the selection of different userpreferences. In the embodiment of FIG. 24A, for example, the plate 300is designed with regularly distributed traction elements 305 and voids310, with the size of each traction element 305 based on the magnitudeof the performance metric data in that region. In addition, the userpreference is set with traction being a relatively important factorwhile weight reduction is of lesser importance, resulting in a greaternumber of traction elements 305 and a fewer number of weight reducingvoids 310.

In the embodiment of FIG. 24B the plate 315 is designed with irregulartraction element 320 and void 310 distribution, with the size of thetraction elements 320 relating directly to the magnitude of theperformance metric data in that region, and with more emphasis beingplace on low weight and higher flexibility, resulting in a greaternumber of voids, especially within the midfoot region 325. In theembodiment of FIG. 24C the plate 330 is designed with irregularlydistributed traction elements 335, with the traction elements 335clustered together in a tighter formation in regions having a highmagnitude of performance metric data (such as in the central portion 340of the forefoot region 345.

Further examples of variations in customized design based on variationsin user preference criteria for a single set of input parameters andperformance metrics can be seen in FIGS. 25A to 25E. For example, FIGS.25A and 25B show two plates (350, 355) with identical input parametersand performance metrics but with the plate 350 designed to lower weight(by increasing void 310 distribution and size, especially within themidfoot region 360 and the outer edge 365 of the forefoot region 370where the magnitude of the performance metric data is lower), whileplate 355 is designed with traction being set as a more importantparameter than weight reduction (resulting in fewer voids 310 and moretraction elements 380).

Similarly, FIGS. 25C and 25D show plates (400, 405) having a differentdesign configuration for the same input parameters and performancemetrics as in FIGS. 5A and 25B, with the size of the traction elements380 of the plates (400, 405) limited to a set size smaller than thatallowed in the embodiments of FIGS. 25A and 25B, and with the tractionelements 380 clustered closer together in regions having large magnitudeperformance metric data. The plates (400, 405) are again designed tohave the same characteristics but with the plate 400 emphasizing lowweight over high traction, and with the plate 405 emphasizing tractionto a greater extent that the plate 400, resulting in fewer voids 310.

FIG. 25E shows another configuration of outsole plate 410 designed usingthe same input parameters and performance metrics as in FIGS. 5A and25D. In this embodiment the selection criteria has been set to reducethe number of traction elements 380 but to allow for significantlyincreased size of traction element 380 in regions corresponding to alarger magnitude of performance metric results. Again, the selectioncriteria has been set to reduce weight by increasing void 310distribution and size, especially within the midfoot region 360 and theouter edge 365 of the forefoot region 370 where the magnitude of theperformance metric data is lower. In various alternative embodimentsdistributions of traction elements 380 and voids 310 can be controlledby a number of selection criteria relating to a number of performanceand aesthetic aspects, such as, but not limited to, traction elementand/or void size, shape, distribution, number, and/or size variation.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 24A to 25E, the sole plateincluding the traction elements can be formed as a plate-like structurewith traction elements extending from the plate and voids or cavitiesformed within certain portions of the plate. In an alternativeembodiment, as shown in FIGS. 26A to 31B, the sole plate can be formedas a plurality of traction elements with a web-like structure ofinterconnection elements (e.g., bars) 415 connecting the tractionelements. In further alternative embodiments the plate can be formed inany appropriate manner having the necessary structural requirements tomeet the performance demands of the wearer.

FIGS. 26A and 26B show plates (420, 425) designed using the same userselection criteria (e.g., traction element shape, size, distribution,etc.) and the same plate structure (with bars 415 connecting individualtraction elements 430 in web-like or lattice structure) but with inputparameters (e.g., pressure and force data) and performance metrics(e.g., analyzed and processed input data based on a preselectedalgorithm) from two different athletes. As can be seen, the algorithmsused to process the input parameters, even for the same user selectioncriteria, produce different traction element 430 distributions due tothe different input parameters generated by different athletes. Theaddition of a web-like structure with bars 415 or other elongateelements allows for the incorporation of structural elements designed toprovide controlled stability, flexibility/stiffness, support, and/orprotection depending on the shape, thickness, and orientation of theelongate elements.

In one embodiment an outsole plate for a track spike-type running shoecan be formed with mounting elements allowing detachable spikes to bemounted to the plate to provide further traction in addition to thetraction elements integrally formed with the plate. These mountingelements may be of any size, shape, and configuration, depending on thespecific spikes and spike configuration required. In various embodimentsany number of spikes can be mounted to the plate, with 3, 4, 5, or 6spikes being utilized by many track athletes. An example outsole plate440 for a track spike-style shoe with mounting elements 445 for trackspikes is shown in FIG. 27.

In one embodiment plates can be formed to account for the differentground interactions between the ground and the shoe for both a left footand a right foot while an athlete runs around a curved track. Exampleplates for a left shoe 450 and a right shoe 455 can be seen in FIGS. 28Aand 28B, with the different input parameters (e.g., pressure and forcedata) for each foot resulting in different traction element 460configurations for each plate. In one embodiment, a pair of shoesspecifically adapted for running around a curved track could includeboth customized sole plates and specially designed, and potentiallycustomized, uppers, such as the uppers described in U.S. PatentPublication No. 2010/0229426, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. Another pair of outsole plates(462, 465) designed from input parameters taken during curved trackrunning can be seen in FIGS. 29A and 29B, with the results calibratedfor a different sole plate shape to that of FIGS. 28A and 28B, and for adifferent athlete's input parameters. In various embodiments theprocessing algorithms may be designed to distribute traction elementsand/or voids in the surface of any shape of plate or outsole, dependingupon the specific shape of the shoe.

A pair of outsole plates (470, 475) utilizing input parametermeasurements taken during straight running is shown in FIGS. 30A through31B, with a left foot plate 470 and a right foot plate 475 shown in bothplan view and perspective view. As shown in FIGS. 31A and 31B the plates(470, 475) may be formed as substantially flat structures with tractionelements 480 extending therefrom. In an alternative embodiment, such asthe soleplate 440 shown in FIG. 27, the plates can be manufactured witha curved or angled profile to allow the plate to mate to a shoe sole, ora portion thereof (e.g., an outsole having a curved or angled lowersurface profile). In various alternative embodiments any appropriateshape of sole plate or outsole element may be designed.

In one embodiment of the invention the input parameters maybe utilizedto determine performance metrics that can be used to design a customizedmidsole or a customized midsole component (e.g., a heel cup and/orforefoot drop-in component) in addition to, or in place of, a groundcontacting structure with traction elements. An example midsole designedfrom analysis of pressure and force measurement input parameter data canbe seen in FIGS. 32A to 32C. In this embodiment, a midsole 500 is formedas a lattice or web-like structure with a plurality of elongate elements505 extending between nodes 510. The distribution of elongate elements505 and nodes 510 within the lattice structure is determined by theperformance metric data obtained from the input parameters of a specificathlete and the selection criteria of that athlete. More particularly,the elongate elements 505 and nodes 510 can be arranged to provide areasof increased or decreased support, increased or decreased cushioning,and/or increased or decreased stability in different regions of themidsole 500.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 32A through 32C the lattice structure isarranged such that more nodes 510, with shorter elongate elements 505are positioned in regions of high performance metric values, therebyproviding additional structural support in those regions, such as in thecentral forefoot region 515 proximate the position of the metatarsalheads of the athlete 520. In various embodiments the properties of thelattice structure can be controlled by specifying various aspects of thestructure such as, but not limited to, the length of each elongateelement 505, the thickness of each elongate element 505, the density ofeach elongate element 505, and/or the material(s) for each elongateelement 505. In addition, properties such as, but not limited to, thesize, shape, density, and/or material(s) of the nodes 510 may also becontrolled to ensure certain performance characteristics of the midsole500 are met. In the embodiment of FIGS. 32A through 32C the elongateelements 505 and nodes 510 form triangular structures. In alternativeembodiments any appropriate structural formation may be utilized. In oneembodiment, elongate elements 505 and nodes 510 form a plurality ofpolyhedron shapes such as, but not limited to, tetrahedrons (i.e., apolyhedron having four triangular faces), cubes, octahedrons,dodecahedrons, icosahedrons, etc. For example, a midsole 500, or aportion thereof, may be formed from a matrix of elongate elements 505forming a plurality of tetrahedron shaped “cells”. The relative size,shape, and structural properties of the cells may be varied throughoutthe midsole 500 to impart different structural characteristics todifferent regions of a shoe.

Structures such as the lattice structure of FIGS. 32A through 32C may bebeneficial to an athlete in that it allows for the customized design ofthe sole component (e.g., the midsole or midsole element) to meet theperformance requirements of the athlete while also minimizing weight byallowing for an open web-like construction with open cavities betweenthe elongate elements 505 and nodes 510. In one embodiment the latticestructure may be left as an open structure. In an alternative embodimenta material (e.g., lightweight foam) may be injected into the latticestructure to fill the open cavities, thereby providing additionalstructural support.

In one embodiment the design of the midsole lattice structure may becreated through processing of the performance metric data bymathematical algorithms such as, but not limited to, circle packing,Delaunay triangulation, volumetric meshing, and/or Voronoidecomposition. An example structural construct for a midsole usingVoronoi decomposition to analyze performance metric data for an athleteis shown in FIG. 32D, with the performance metric data, represented as ascalar hexahedron pressure mapping distribution, for calculating amidsole mesh used in the analysis shown in FIG. 33. In this embodiment,the pressure distribution within a volumetric representation of the soleof an article of footwear is represented by a contour map 527, with highpressure regions 528 and low pressure regions 529 distributed about thevolume according to the pressure measurements taken for a particularathlete.

Another example midsole designed and constructed according to themethods and systems described herein is shown in FIGS. 34A to 34F. Inthis embodiment the midsole 530 includes a forefoot region 535 having awrapped toe section 540, a midfoot region 545, and a heel region 550.The midsole 530 further includes an upper surface 555 for engaging anupper of a shoe and a lower surface 560 for engaging an outsole of ashoe and/or for providing a ground contact surface (without the need forproviding an additional outsole element, or elements). The midsole 530further includes a side wall 565, which may be exposed when assembledinto the finished shoe or which may be fully or partially covered by aclear or opaque covering element when assembled into the finished shoe.The structure of the midsole 530 includes a plurality of elongateelements 570 joining at a plurality of nodes 575, with the combinedelongate elements 570 and nodes 575 forming a plurality of opentriangular structural segments 580. As discussed above, the specificarrangement of elongate elements 570 and nodes 575 can be customizedbased on the specific performance metrics for a given athlete, with themidsole 530 thereby providing customized cushioning, support, andflexibility (and other possible performance benefits) for a specificathlete.

In various embodiments any appropriate skin, covering, and/orencapsulate may be added to the structure after formation to provide anouter surface covering for the structure, or portions thereof. This mayprovide protection for the structure, prevent clogging of the structurewith mud, water, etc., provide additional structural properties to thestructure, and/or provide unique aesthetic elements to the structure.Skins/coverings may be manufactured from any appropriate material suchas, but not limited to, thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU's),thermoplastic elastomers (TPE's) and/or knitted, woven, or non-woventextiles.

The upper surface 555 may be glued, stitched, or otherwise attached toan upper of a shoe and, for example, to a strobel board for an upper ofa shoe. In certain embodiments an insole may be placed above the midsole530 in a finished shoe to provide a separate layer between the midsole530 and a foot of a wearer of the shoe. In certain embodiments a strobelboard positioned above the upper surface 555, to which the upper surface555 is attached, provides a material layer in between the midsole 530and the foot of the wearer in addition to, or instead of, a separateinsole component. In an alternative embodiment the upper surface 555 isattached to the upper only at the edges, with no strobel board, insole,or other material layer coming between the midsole 530 and the foot of awearer of the finished shoe.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 34A to 34F the upper surface 530 includes aplurality of voids 585, which can reduce the weight of the midsole 530and provide for breathability between the midsole 530 and an upper of ashoe. The voids 585 may be arranged in any particular pattern and be ofany appropriate shape, depending upon the specific performance,breathability, and weight requirements of the footwear. In oneembodiment the location, size, and shape of the voids 585 can bedetermined based upon the specific performance metrics of an athlete,thereby providing a customized breathability and load distributionplate. In one embodiment the upper surface 555 may not have any voids585 therein, which may be beneficial, for example, in providingadditional surface area onto which the upper can be bonded and may alsobe beneficial in embodiments where additional breathability is notdesired or necessary (e.g., in waterproof footwear). In one embodimentthe shape of the upper surface 555 may be contoured specifically to thefoot shape of a given athlete, thereby providing a customized fit forthe athlete.

The lower surface 560 of the midsole 530 includes a plurality offlattened lower contact surfaces 590 which can, in various embodimentsof the invention, provide a surface onto which one or more outsoleelements may be affixed (e.g., by gluing), or which can provide a directground contact surface for the midsole 530. The shape, size, andconfiguration of these lower contact surfaces 590 may be standardized ormay be customized through analysis and application of an individualathletes input parameters, performance metrics, and/or selectioncriteria. In an alternative embodiment the lower surface 560 can be asolid, void free surface. Another embodiment of the invention, includinga midsole 530 having a plurality of traction elements 595 extending fromthe bottom surface 560, can be seen in FIG. 35. In this embodiment, thebottom surface 600 of the traction elements 595 provides a direct groundcontact surface for the midsole 530, thereby allowing the midsole 530 tofunction without the need to add an additional outsole element.

In one embodiment the input parameters and algorithms may be utilized todesign an insole for a shoe, with the insole customized to the specificphysical characteristics of the athlete and the structure of the insoledesigned to provide a customized feel and/or performance characteristicfor the athlete. In alternative embodiments the methods and systemsdescribed herein could be used to design and manufacture any outsole,midsole, and/or insole structures and components such as, but notlimited to, full outsoles, midsoles, and/or insoles, inserts forplacement within an outsole, midsole, and/or insole (e.g., within theforefoot, midfoot, and/or heel of the shoe and/or in the medial side,lateral side, and/or central section of the shoe. In one embodiment thesystems and methods described herein can be utilized to createcustomized uppers and/or upper portions in addition to, or instead of,the customized sole elements.

An example shoe 610 including a sole 615 and upper 620 manufactured as asingle unitary structure in accordance with the methods and processesdescribed herein is shown in FIGS. 35A to 35E. In this embodiment thesole 615 includes a midsole 625 formed from a plurality of adjoiningcircular elements 630 spaced apart to form an open web-like structure.An upper 620 is integrally formed with the sole 615 to create a unitarystructure forming the shoe 610, with the upper 620 including linkedmesh-like portions 635 forming the majority of the upper 620, includingthe tongue 640, with support elements 645 providing additionalstructural support in regions of high strain (e.g., in the midfootregion 650 and a heel region 655). In an alternative embodiment thecustomized unitary construction may only form specific regions of thesole and/or upper of a shoe, with additional material and structuralelements being attached to the customized structure. In variousembodiments the shoe 610 can be constructed with any appropriate closuremeans, with the closure means formed along with the upper/and/or soleelements or attached to the shoe after formation. In one embodiment bothsides of a hook and loop-type arrangement can be created in an additivemanufacturing process, with the resulting hook and loop structureseparable after manufacture to provide a closure means.

In one embodiment an upper, or portion(s) thereof, can be formed throughmethods described herein (e.g., through additive manufacturing) andthereafter heat welded, fused, bonded, or otherwise attached to atextile or other material to form a finished part. In one embodiment aflat shell for an upper can be formed though additive manufacturing andthereafter heat pressed (or otherwise bonded or attached) to a textileto form a finished upper. In one embodiment a shaped mold/heat pressform can be created (either with the shell or separately from the shell)which can then be used to ensure that structural definition (e.g.,raised portions) of the shell are not lost during heat pressingprocedure.

Utilizing the methods and processes described herein any of the elementsof the sole 615 and/or upper 620 of the shoe 610 can be customized,based on the specific input parameters, performance metrics, and/orselection criteria of an athlete, to produce a fully customized shoe.For example, the position, size, shape, pattern, structure, and materialproperties of the support elements 645 can be customized, based on theinput parameters of the athlete, to provide support specificallyaddressing the running style, foot shape, performance requirements, andaesthetic requirements of an athlete. In addition, elements such as, butnot limited to, the position, size, shape, pattern, structure, andmaterial properties of the mesh-like portions 635 may also becustomized, based on the input parameters of the athlete, to providesupport specifically addressing the running style, foot shape,performance requirements, and aesthetic requirements of an athlete. Inan alternative embodiment elements of the sole 615 and/or upper 620 canbe formed in any appropriate open or closed structure, having anyappropriate dimensions (e.g., shape and size), structure, materialproperties (e.g., density), to produce the specific performance andaesthetic requirements of an individual athlete.

In various embodiments any of the sensors and measurements describedherein may be used to provide appropriate input parameters forcustomizing the shoe 610 as a whole, or the sole 615 and/or upper 620alone (or limited regions thereof), depending upon the specificrequirements of the athlete. Factors that the shoe can be customized forinclude, but are not limited to, the performance and technique of theathlete, the physical structure of the foot of the athlete, injuryprevention and/or protection, weight considerations, supportconsiderations, and/or aesthetic considerations. In one exampleembodiment stress/strain gauges can be placed on an upper of a shoe ofan athlete during the measurement of input parameters to identifyregions of the upper that are subject to high and low stress/strainduring the gait cycle of an individual athlete, with the algorithms andmethods described herein using this information to identify regions of acustomized upper for that athlete that require more support, and regionsof the upper that do not require as much support (and can therefore beconstructed from a lighter and/or more flexible material and/or materialstructure).

In an alternative embodiment stress/strain data can be gathered throughthe use of optical camera scanning (or other appropriate scanning ormeasurement techniques) of the foot/shoe during athletic motion, withmarkers on the foot/shoe providing identification of relativepositioning of portions of the foot, and changes to that relativepositioning over time. Analysis of changes in relative position can beused to calculate the stress and strain at each region of the shoe/footduring an athletic motion.

Another example midsole that may be formed using methods and materialsdescribed herein can be seen in FIGS. 37A to 37D. In this embodiment, amidsole 500 is formed as a lattice or web-like structure with aplurality of elongate elements 505 extending between nodes (connectionlocations) 510. The distribution of elongate elements 505 and nodes 510within the lattice structure may, in one embodiment, be determined byperformance metric data obtained from the input parameters of a specificathlete (or group of athletes) and the selection criteria of thatathlete (or group of athletes). Alternatively, the lattice structure maybe created more generically to provide standardized support andperformance requirements for a category of athletes. In this embodiment,the lattice structure (or volumetric mesh structure) is composed of amatrix including a series of tetrahedrons comprising hexagonal cells 705which share adjacent elements. In this embodiment a structure is createdby connecting the centerpoint of each face of the tetrahedron to themidpoint of each of the sides.

In various embodiments polyhedrons or any appropriate size shape andstructural relationship may be utilized to form a lattice of cellsproviding a required level of support, flexibility, cushioning, andother structural, performance, and/or aesthetic parameters to differentregions of a shoe sole, or portion thereof, based on performance andaesthetic considerations. Example polyhedrons that may be used to createstructural features of a midsole include, but are not limited to,tetrahedrons, truncated tetrahedrons, cubes, truncated cubes,dodecahedrons, truncated dodecahedrons, octahedrons, truncatedoctahedrons, higher order polyhedrons or truncated polyhedra, and/orprisms of any appropriate number of sides (e.g., triangular prisms,pentagonal prisms, hexagonal prisms, or higher order prisms). In oneembodiment an entire midsole, or portion thereof, can be formed from asingle polyhedral structure (with varying size, element thickness, etc.being used to impart different structural properties to differentregions, if required). In another embodiment a plurality of differingpolyhedrons may be incorporated into a single midsole (or portionthereof). Such structures may also be utilized to form other portions ofa shoe (e.g., shoe uppers, or portions thereof) and/or athletic apparel,athletic protection/padding, and/or athletic equipment, or portionsthereof.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 37D, the bottom (or lower) surface560 of the midsole 500 may include one or more indents 718 into whichground contact elements (e.g., outsole elements) or other structuralfeatures may be placed. Other possible structural features may include,but are not limited to, cushioning elements, traction elements,protection elements (e.g., plates), flexion control elements,performance monitoring sensors, etc. In various embodiments one or moreindents or cavities may be located at any portion of the midsole (e.g.,within a central region, on an upper or lower surface, on a medialand/or lateral side, and/or in a forefoot, midfoot, and/or heel region)to provide a location for one or more structural features to be placed.In one embodiment traction elements may be constructed directly into themidsole, thereby wholly or partly negating the need for additionalseparate outsole elements.

Another example midsole formed using methods and materials describedherein can be seen in FIGS. 38A and 38B. In this embodiment, a cellstructure 720 is created by stemming elongate elements 505 from thecenter of tetrahedronal elements and joining them at nodes 510 at eachcorner. A further example midsole, comprising square cells 725 forming awarped square grid alternating with a midlayer of polyhedral cells 730is shown in FIGS. 39A and 39B.

Another example midsole 500, as shown in FIGS. 40A and 40B, may beformed from a plurality of polyhedrons (in this case tetrahedrons)having circular elements 735 (or rings) forming the faces of thetetrahedrons. The size and thickness of these rings 735 can vary overthe volume of the midsole 500 to impart different structural propertiesto different regions thereof. Another midsole formed from a plurality ofpolyhedrons (in this case cubes) having circular elements 735 (or rings)forming the faces of the cubes is shown in FIGS. 41A-42. In addition tosize and thickness changes, the rings 735 can vary in shape (fromcircular to elliptical or other curved shapes of any appropriategeometry) to impart different structural properties to different regionsthereof.

In one embodiment the lower surface 560 of the midsole 500 includespositioning elements 740 onto, or into, which ground contact elements(e.g., outsole elements) or other structural elements can be positionedand affixed. These can, for example, provide stable structures ontowhich the outsole elements can be permanently (or removably) affixed andheld. In one embodiment one or more plates 745 can be integrally formedwith (or affixed to) the midsole 500 to provide additional structure andsupport to the upper surface 555 and/or lower surface 560 midsole 500.An example plate 745 covering the entire upper surface 555 of a midsole500 is shown in FIG. 42, while a plate 745 comprising a band of materialextending around an outer perimeter of an upper surface 555 of a midsole500 is shown in FIG. 50. Plate 745 may provide cushioning and protectionto the foot of a wearer and/or provide a solid surface onto which anupper of a shoe can be adhered or otherwise affixed to.

Another example midsole, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention, is shown in FIGS. 43A and 43B. In this embodiment, ellipticalshapes 750 are formed and joined together to form a midsole 500. Anotherembodiment, including a plurality of elliptical elements 750 located atthe faces of tetrahedronal cells and joined together through shared wallstructures 755 to form an open matrix of structural elements, is shownin FIG. 44.

In one embodiment cells in a midsole 500 can be formed from a pluralityof adjoining triangular elements 760, as shown in FIGS. 45 to 50, withthe triangular elements forming the faces of a matrix oftetrahedron-shaped structural elements. In various embodiments thetriangles, or any other shape, may have sharp or rounded corners. In oneembodiment elongate elements can be arranged in a substantially verticalarrangement in certain regions of the midsole 500 to provide additionalstructural stability (e.g., to reduce/prevent shearing during loading)to the midsole 500. In addition, as discussed above the size of theelongate elements 505 forming the cells can be varied over the midsole500 with, for example, regions requiring greater structural support(such as under the forefoot of an athlete) having smaller cells 762 withshorter elongate elements 505 (as shown in FIG. 47B).

In one embodiment the shape of the midsole 500 can be based on scanneddata of the foot shape of an athlete. An example midsole 500 having anupper surface 555 substantially conforming to the shape of an athletecan be seen in FIG. 45.

In various embodiments the elongate elements may be straight or curvedand may be of any appropriate length, thickness, and orientation toimpart the required structural characteristics to regions of a midsole.The thickness may be constant or may vary over the length of theelongate element. The orientation of one or more elongate may besubstantially vertical or at an acute angle to the vertical. Theelongate elements may be angled in a substantially longitudinaldirection (with respect to the direction of the shoe sole) or in asubstantially transverse direction, or at any angle therebetween. Forexample, elongate elements may be arranged in an orientation opposingthe direction of the predominant load placed on the midsole at thatlocation during an athletic motion.

In one embodiment, structural elements such as elliptical elements 770may be arranged to form the faces of a larger structural cell such as,but not limited to, the spheroidal structure 775 shown in FIGS. 51A-52.In various embodiments elongate elements and/or elliptical elements maybe arranged in any appropriate manner to produce a matrix of structuralcells providing any appropriate structural characteristics to themidsole.

Various embodiments of the midsole structures described herein caninclude a matrix of structural cells that is warped or otherwiseadjusted to produce regions having differing densities, directionalstrengths, etc. to impart differing structural properties to differentregions of the midsole. An example warped matrix having regions of lowerdensity 780 (formed by increasing the length of the elongate elements505 and therefore increasing the size of the resultant cells 782) and aregion of higher density 785 (formed by decreasing the length of theelongate elements 505 and therefore decreasing the size of the resultantcells 787) can be seen in FIG. 53.

In one embodiment a lattice or matrix of elements can be used to formfoot shapes which may be used, for example, to form uppers, or portionsof uppers, for an article of footwear and/or form shoe lasts for use inthe manufacture of footwear. These foot forms 790 may have a hollowinterior or a structured, or partially structured, interior. Examplefoot forms comprising a plurality of elongate elements 505 forming achainmail-type structure are shown in FIGS. 54A to 55B, while a footform comprising a plurality of elongate elements 505 forming a matrix ofhexagonal and pentagonal cells 795 can be seen in FIGS. 56A and 56B. Inalternative embodiments any appropriate structure, or combination ofstructures, may be utilized to form the foot forms.

In various embodiments these structures may be formed from substantiallystiff and inflexible materials (for example when forming lasts formanufacturing purposes) or can be formed from flexible and/or elasticmaterials (for example when forming uppers, or portions thereof, forfootwear). In one embodiment structures, such as portions of uppersand/or other shoe elements (e.g., sole elements or combines sole andupper elements), can be formed in a fully or partially collapsed orflattened state and thereafter expanded to form a finished part. Thismay be particularly beneficial, for example, in additive manufacturing,where forming objects in a collapsed state allows for greatly reducedvolume requirements during manufacturing, thereby allowing significantlymore parts to be manufactured in a single manufacturing run. In oneembodiment the shoe element, or any other structure (e.g., protectiveapparel or padding, sports equipment, etc.) can be manufactured fromflexible materials that elastically deform into a finished part afterinitial forming (e.g., by having an elastic deforming stress pre-formedin the formation structure to automatically deform upon construction, orupon release of the structure from the manufacturing mold, powder bed,etc.). Alternatively, or in addition, the structure could be formed froma material allowing for plastic deformation after initial formation toreshape the structure into a desired shape.

In one embodiment a structure (e.g., a shoe sole and/or upper) can beformed, for example through additive manufacturing techniques, with oneor more hinges or other deformable structural elements to allow the partto be formed in a bent or collapsed state and thereafter deformed tocreate the finished structure. In another embodiment a structure couldbe formed with an interior cavity into which a bladder can be placed to“inflate” the structure to a finished size after initial formation in acollapsed state.

In one embodiment a midsole 800 for an article of footwear may be formedfrom a plurality of independent structural elements 805 connectedthrough a plurality of linkage elements 810. An example linkage system,and a midsole 800 formed from a plurality of structural elements 805 andlinkage elements 810, can be seen in FIGS. 57 to 58E. In thisembodiment, the linkage elements 810 may be flexible, elastically orplastically deformable, and/or provide some degree of give within thestructural elements 805 (e.g., by being loose enough to allow relativemovement between adjacent structural elements 805) to provide themidsole 800 with a controlled degree of flexibility and manipulability.The structural elements 805 are formed as hollow-walled elements havingopenings into which the linkage elements 810 extend. The linkageelements 810 are formed as bent elongate elements that extend betweenadjacent structural elements 805 to form a chainmail-type linkagearrangement. In alternative embodiments the structural elements 805 andlinkage elements 810 may take any appropriate form, and any appropriateform of structure providing connected relative movement between adjacentstructural elements may be utilized. In one embodiment the structuralelements 805 may be formed as a unitary structure with the linkageelements 810. In another embodiment the structural elements 805 andlinkage elements 810 can be separate interconnected elements. Thestructural elements 805 and linkage elements 810 may be utilized to forma sole and/or upper of a shoe, or portions thereof, or a portion ofathletic apparel, athletic equipment, or protective equipment/padding.

In one embodiment the size and shape of the structural elements 805and/or linkage elements 810 may vary such that different regions of themidsole 800 have structural elements 805 with different shapes, sizes,and/or structural characteristics. For example, the embodiment of FIGS.58A to 58E includes a toe section 815 having smaller structural elements805, a forefoot region 820 having larger structural elements 805, and amidfoot region 825 and heel region 830 having intermediate sizedstructural elements 805, with the change in size allowing for fourstructural elements 805 to span the width of the midsole throughout theentire length thereof. In alternative embodiments any appropriate numberof elements may span the width of the structure, and the number andarrangement of elements may change over a length and/or width thereof.

Providing relative motion between structural elements 805 allows for themidsole 800 to be manipulated after formation to allow for adjustment ofthe shape and size of the midsole 800 to allow a single structure to fitmultiple sizes and shapes of foot. For example, a midsole 800 that canexpand and contract in width and/or length can be adjusted to fitmultiple shoe sizes. As shown in FIGS. 58B and 58C, a midsole 800 can beadjusted to have a first length L(1) and width W(1), thereby fitting afirst shoe size, or be spread apart to provide a second length L(2) andwidth W(2), thereby fitting a second shoe size. Allowing for thisadjustment would allow for a single structure to cover a vast array ofdifferent foot sizes, widths, and shapes.

In addition, allowing for relative movement of the structural elements805 allows for the midsole 800 to be manufactured in a firstconfiguration (e.g., flat, as shown in FIG. 58D) and thereafter bereshaped into a final, curved configuration (e.g., curved along at leasta portion of the longitudinal extent, as shown in FIG. 58E). This may beparticularly beneficial, for example, in additive manufacturing, whereforming the midsole 800 in a flat state (and only adding curvature tothe structure after forming) potentially allows for greatly reducedvolume requirements during manufacturing, thereby allowing significantlymore parts to be manufactured in a single manufacturing run.

The midsole 800 can be locked into a finished shape by any appropriatemethod. For example, the midsole 800 can be shaped into a desired formand thereafter treated by any appropriate chemical or heat treatment tofuse the structural elements 805 and linkage elements 810 into a lockedarrangement. Alternatively, or in addition, a foam, adhesive, or othermaterial can be infused into the midsole 800 to hold the midsole 800 inits desired shape.

Example sole elements (in this case outsole plates) having cleatedtraction elements for use, for example, in soccer, American football,rugby, or other sports requiring cleats, are shown in FIGS. 59A to 59E.In these embodiments the size, shape, and arrangement of the cleatedtraction elements 850 on the outsole plates 855 can be arranged in anyappropriate manner to provide the required structural, performance,and/or aesthetic properties required by the wearer. In one embodimentthe positioning, orientation, and structural characteristics of thecleated traction elements 850 can be customized to the requirements ofan athlete based on utilization of the methods and systems describedherein.

In one embodiment the cleated traction elements 850 may be substantiallycircular in cross section, as shown, for example, in FIG. 59E.Alternatively, the cleated traction elements 850 may be ribbed toproduce a plurality of extensions out from a central core, as shown, forexample, in FIG. 59D (which shows cleated traction elements 850 having a3-sided ribbed structure). In alternative embodiments any appropriatecross-sectional cleat shape may be utilized including, but not limitedto, elliptical cleats, bladed cleats, or triangular cleats. These cleatsmay or may not be tapered and may extend at substantially 90° or at anacute angle from the base plate.

In one embodiment a sole structure (e.g., an outsole plate or a midsoleelement) may incorporate one or more flex grooves to provide controlledflexibility within certain regions of the sole structure. For customizedfootwear the positioning of these flex grooves may, for example, bebased on the scanned foot data and/or performance data of an athlete.

An outsole plate 855 for a cleated sole structure having flex grooves860 is shown in FIGS. 60A to 60E. The flex grooves 860 divide theoutsole plate 855 into a plurality of regions: a medial forefoot region865, a lateral forefoot region 870, a medial midfoot region 875, lateralmidfoot region 880 which extends into a lateral heel region 885, and amedial heel region 890. In alternative embodiments any appropriatearrangement of segregated regions may be utilized depending upon thephysiology of the athlete, the performance requirements of the shoe,and/or aesthetic considerations.

In one embodiment the traction elements can be divided into primarytraction elements and one or more set of secondary traction elements,with one or both of the primary and/or secondary traction elementspositioned, sized, and/or shaped based on biometrical and/or performancedata from an athlete. FIGS. 60B through 60E show a variety of differentoutsole plates 855, with FIG. 60B showing a plate having only primarytraction elements 900 and FIGS. 60C through 60E showing variousconfigurations of primary traction elements 900 and secondary tractionelements 905. FIG. 60E also shows a different shape of primary tractionelement 900 from those utilized in FIGS. 60B through 60D.

In one embodiment performance and/or biometric information can beutilized to produce a grid of polygonal shapes into which customizedcleats can be positioned based on measured and processed athlete data.An example outsole plate 855 having a mapping/grid structure 910superimposed thereon can be seen in FIG. 61A. In this embodiment theedges 915 of the grid elements corresponds to the edges of cells 925into which cleated traction elements 920 may be positioned on theoutsole plate 855. The size (e.g., height) and shape of the cleatedtraction elements 920 may be based on processing of the performanceand/or biometric information from the athlete, as described herein.

As described herein, various means of processing athlete data can beutilized in calculating customized traction element structures andpositions for a specific athlete. A number of example processing methodsfor use, for example, in cleated traction elements are shown in FIGS.62A to 62D. These figures show the different traction elementconfigurations that can be created from a single data set depending onspecific filtering, processing, and other analysis tool selections.

FIG. 62A shows an arrangement of cleated traction elements 850 on anoutsole plate 855 based on a direct averaging and simple weighting ofall data throughout the course of an athletic motion. FIG. 62B shows anarrangement of cleated traction elements 850 on an outsole plate 855based on a filtered data set, with only the largest 10% of data samplesat a given location being used to create a cleated traction element 850configuration at that location. FIG. 62B shows an arrangement of cleatedtraction elements 850 on an outsole plate 855 based on a zonal approachto data processing, with the data in different regions (or zones) of theoutsole plate 855 processed independently based upon an identificationof the dominant performance requirements for each region (e.g.,longitudinal or lateral support, landing or toe-off support, etc.). FIG.62D shows an arrangement of cleated traction elements 850 on an outsoleplate 855 based on a weighted filtering of the zonal data of FIG. 62Cwith data from points proximate a point of interest being used to smooththe data transition between regions. In alternative embodiments anyother appropriate processing and analysis techniques may be utilized, asappropriate.

An example method of designing an outsole plate 940 with cleatedtraction elements 945 is shown in FIGS. 63A to 63G. In this embodiment,biometric and performance data is gathered for an athlete and used todetermine preferred cleat 945 location, size and shape over the surfaceof an outsole plate 940 for a shoe such as a soccer shoe/boot. The datacan also be used to determine a preferred structure for the plate 940 toprovide superior flexibility, support, and stability customized to theathlete.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 63A to 63G the data used in the customizationdesign process includes biometric data relating to the geometry of theathlete's foot (e.g., foot scan data 950 obtained through an opticalscan of the geometry of the foot). In addition, pressure data 955associated with the pressure distribution under the foot during anathletic motion and force vector data 960 associated with the directionsand magnitudes of the force between the foot and the ground during anathletic motion are used to provide cleat configurations specificallytied to the athlete. In alternative embodiments, additional and/ordifferent biometric and/or performance data can be used in thecustomization process.

In one embodiment the athlete can perform a number of different athleticmotions (e.g., straight line running, curved running, jumping, cutting,turning, kicking, etc.), with all these different data sets beingincorporated into the data processing algorithm. The data for differentmotions can be weighted based on the dominance of a specific motion tothe athlete's performance and/or to athlete preference. For example, oneathlete (e.g., a soccer player) may want or need a shoe that isspecifically designed to maximize straight line speed, while anotherathlete may want or need a shoe designed to enhance cutting speed and/orstability. The data can also be weighted or otherwise filtered to ensurethat the results don't over-rely on one data set and motion to thedetriment of other data sets and motions, thereby creating a shoe thatprovides customized support over a broad range of motions.

The processed data is then used to create a matrix 965 of desired cleat945 locations, sizes, and directional orientations, as shown in FIG.63D. This data can then be further processed to determine locations onthe outsole plate 940 where greater or lesser degrees of flexibility(e.g., longitudinal, lateral, and/or torsional flexibility) are desired,where greater or lesser degrees of stiffness are desired, where greateror lesser degrees of structural support are required, and where greateror lesser degrees of protection are required. This data can then be usedto create a unitary multi-component structure providing both customizedtraction control and structural support for the athlete. For example,the data can be used to create a primary lattice component 970 includinga customized matrix of traction elements (as shown in FIG. 63E) and asecondary lattice component 975 including a lattice or web of supportstructures designed to provide customized flexibility, rigidity,structural support, and protection (as shown in FIG. 63F). These twolattice components can then be combined to create a final outsole plate940 design providing a structure specifically adapted to the performanceand biometric needs of an athlete.

In various embodiments any appropriate combination of traction elements,flexibility elements (e.g., flex grooves), support elements, etc. can beincorporated into a shoe element. The elements can be customized to aspecific athlete (based on analysis of that athletes biometric andperformance data) or be designed to provide a more generic, averaged,structure based on analysis of multiple athletes performing a specificathletic motion or range of motions.

In one embodiment traction elements may be formed as substantiallyhollow structures to reduce the material required for manufacture and toreduce the weight of the plate. An example sole plate 978 for a cleatedshoe having a plurality of hollowed cleated traction elements 980, witha web of structural stability elements 985 extending within the hollowedinterior 990 of each cleated traction elements 980, is shown in FIGS.64A and 64B. The structural stability elements 985 may be used toprovide structural support for the cleated traction elements 980 and maytake any appropriate form. In an alternative embodiment the hollowcleated traction elements 980 may be sufficiently structurally stableand solid on their own, thereby negating the need for structuralstability elements 985. In one embodiment a material (e.g., a foam, arubber, or another appropriate material) may be inserted into the hollowcleated traction elements 980 to provide stability to the element and/orto provide cushioning and/or other structural benefits to the sole plate978.

An example athletic shoe having cleated traction elements for use, forexample, in soccer, is shown in FIGS. 66a through 66D. In thisembodiment, the shoe (or boot) 1000 includes an upper 1005 and a sole1010, the sole 1010 including a sole plate 1015 having a bottom surface1020 adapted for ground engagement and an upper surface facing aninterior of the shoe 1000. The sole 1010 can be fixedly attached to theupper 1005 in any appropriate manner, as known in the art. The sole 1010can include additional elements such as, but not limited to, an insole(e.g., a foamed insole) to be positioned between the sole plate 1015 andthe foot of a wearer. An example insole element having selectedcushioning elements is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/620,539, filed on Feb. 12, 2015, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The upper 1005 includes an instep portion 1022 including a tongue 1025and lacing system 1030. In alternative embodiments, a burrito-typetongue (as shown in the shoe 1000 of FIGS. 67A and 67B), a paddedtongue, or a tongue-less instep portion, may be utilized. The upper 1005includes an outer layer having different textures and/or cushioningcharacteristics in different locations, with the various texturesproviding different performance characteristics at the associatedlocations of the upper 1005 to improve the performance of the shoe 1000by providing the wearer with optimized traction, cushioning, andrebound/energy return characteristics depending upon the specificathletic motion being performed (e.g., the striking of a soccer ball bythe shoe 1000). For example, providing certain regions of the upper 1005with increased cushioning (e.g., through the use of foamed materials inthose regions and, for example, in a medial midfoot of the shoe) canallow the wearer to better control a ball being passed to him or her(with the cushioning properties of the material in that regiondissipating the energy of the ball and thereby easing the control of theball as it reaches the foot), while providing other areas with higherenergy return/decreased cushioning can improve the reboundcharacteristics of that region of the shoe 1000 and thereby increase theforce transfer between foot and ball during a ball striking motion(e.g., a shot at goal) where maximum energy transfer, and therebymaximum ball speed, can be advantageous.

The upper 1005 shown in FIGS. 66A and 66B includes a first upper portion1035 covering the majority of the lateral midfoot region 1040, lateralforefoot region 1045, central forefoot region 1050, and medial midfootregion 1055, with a second upper portion 1060, having a differenttexture, located in the medial forefoot region 1062. In one embodiment,the second upper portion 1060 may be formed from the same material asthe first upper portion 1035 and may, for example, be formed as aunitary material portion with the first upper portion 1035, with thedifferent texture applied to the second upper portion 1060 through theapplication of a texturing mechanism (e.g., surface texturing, surfaceroughing, surface smoothing, heat application to mold and set thematerial, application of an additional material or chemical treatment,such as a tacky material, to the outer surface, etc.). In an alternativeembodiment, the second upper portion 1060 may be formed from a differentmaterial from the first upper portion 1035. In one embodiment, three ormore different upper portions may be utilized, with each having its owncombination of texturing/traction and cushioning properties.

The second upper portion 1060 shown in FIG. 66A includes a plurality ofregularly interspersed parallel ridges 1065 and indentations 1070, withthe ridges extending at an angle of about 45° to the longitudinal axisof the shoe 1000 (i.e., the axis extending longitudinally along the shoefrom front to rear). In an alternative embodiment, the ridges 1065 canextend at an angle of between about 10° to about 80°, or moreparticularly between about 30° to about 60°, or even between about 40°to about 50°. The ridges 1065 can be substantially straight or curved inany appropriate manner. The ridges 1065 may be of any appropriate widthand height and can, in one embodiment, have a width of between about 1mm to about 10 mm and, for example, between about 4 mm to about 8 mm(e.g., about 6 mm) and a height of between about 0.1 mm to about 3 mmand, for example, between about 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm (e.g., about 1 mm). Theindentations 1070 between the ridges 1065 can have the same width as theridges 1065 or have a lesser or greater width. In one embodiment, theindentations 1070 can have a width of approximately half that of theridges 1065. In alternative embodiments, the ridges 1065 andindentations 1070 can be larger or smaller, and have any appropriateratio of dimensions, as appropriate for the particular embodiment.

In an alternative embodiment, the second upper portion 1060 can have anyappropriate texturing such as, but not limited to, a cross-hatchpattern, a plurality of discrete raised and/or indented elements, aroughened or smoothed surface (with respect to the surrounding outersurface) and/or a tacky surface. Providing ridges 1065 and/or othertexturing on areas such as the second upper portion 1060 providescustomized traction between the outer surface of the upper 1005 and aball being controlled and kicked by the athlete. This can be beneficial,for example, in imparting appropriate spin to a ball, with differentsurface textures interacting with the ball in different ways to impartvarious spins to the ball. By providing an upper 1005 with a pluralityof different upper portions 1035, 1060, each having different texturesand cushioning properties, a shoe 1000 can be adapted to provide anathlete with a unique combination of ball interaction zones, with theproperties of each zone customized to a particular athlete's, or groupof athletes', preferences.

The first upper portion 1035 and/or second upper portion 1060 can bemade from any appropriate material and may be formed from amulti-layered material package and, for example, a three-layered packagehaving a textile inner layer (the shaded base layer viewed through thehexagonal holes 1075 in FIGS. 66A and 66B), a foamed middle layer (thelayer shown in FIGS. 66A and 66B with the holes 1075 therein), and atextile outer layer (indicated in FIGS. 66A and 66B by the dottedpattern). The textiles on the inner and outer layers may include, orconsist essentially of, a breathable or non-breathable woven, non-woven,knit or otherwise structured mesh material formed from any appropriatenatural or synthetic material. The middle layer may be formed from afoamed material, an unfoamed material, or a textile. An exampleintermediate foamed layer may be manufactured from Ariaprene®, asmanufactured by Tiong Liong Industrial Co., Ltd. of Taichung City,Taiwan, with the foamed layer being perforated to produce the holes 1075and thereafter laminated between the inner layer and outer layers. Inone embodiment, the upper material, and/or any one or more layer in amulti-layered material package, can be formed with holes or otherstructural elements therein and with, for example, the holes created byperforation or cutting of the material or by molding, knitting, weaving,or otherwise forming the material layer with the holes and/or otherstructural features therein. In various embodiments, the holes can besized, shaped, and/or oriented to provide selected degrees ofbreathability, uni-directional or multi-directional stretch, cushioning,and/or support.

As shown, the foamed middle/intermediate layer includes a plurality ofregularly distributed polygonal holes 1075 (and, in this case, hexagonalholes), with these holes creating regularly spaced indentations in thefirst upper portion 1035, thereby providing breathability and creating aregular texture in the first upper portion 1035. The holes 1075 can havea width (from flat side to flat side of the hexagonal cross-section) ofbetween about 1 mm to about 10 mm and, for example, between about 4 mmand about 8 mm (e.g., about 6 mm). In alternative embodiments, the holes1075 can be larger or smaller, as appropriate for the particularembodiment. In an alternative embodiment, the holes 1075 can besubstantially circular, oval, or of any other appropriate cross-section.For example, the shoe 1000 as shown in FIGS. 67A and 67B includes anupper 1005 having an first upper portion 1035 including a multi-layeredmaterial package having a foamed middle layer including regularlydistributed oval holes 1075, with this first upper portion 1035extending over the lateral forefoot region 1045, central forefoot region1050, medial forefoot region 1062, and medial midfoot region 1055.

The depth of the holes 1075, and therefore the depth of the texturing onthe first upper portion 1035, is dependent on the thickness of thefoamed material in the middle layer and the extent to which the outerlayer extends into the holes 1075. As such, careful selection of thethickness of the foamed middle layer is required to ensure appropriatecushioning and traction characteristics for the first upper portion1035, with thicker foamed layers providing more cushioning and greatertexturing. In one embodiment, the foamed middle layer can have athickness of between about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm, although thinner andthicker middle layers may be utilized depending upon the specificperformance characteristics required.

The upper 1005 can include additional structural features in addition tothose provided by the first upper portion 1035 and second upper portion1060. For example, as shown in FIGS. 66A and 66B the upper 1005 caninclude a heel portion 1080 incorporating a heel collar 1085 (e.g., acushioned heel collar) and a structured heel counter 1090. In addition,additional layers of material may be located, either to the interior orexterior of the surface of the upper 1005 (or within a multi-layeredmaterial portion), at one or more region of the upper 1005 to provideadditional structural support and other performance characteristics tothe shoe 1000, where appropriate. For example, the shoe 1000 shown inFIGS. 67A and 67B includes a fourth material layer 1095 in the lateralmidfoot region 1040, medial midfoot region 1055, and instep region 1022to provide additional structural support to the midfoot of the wearerand a second upper portion 1060 in the midfoot region having a differentsurface texture to surrounding material portions (with the fourthmaterial layer 1095 extending over the first upper portion 1035 in themedial midfoot region 1055 and over an additional, or third, upperportion 1110, which extends over the lateral midfoot region 1040 andaround the heel region 1080, in the lateral midfoot 1040). This fourthmaterial layer 1095 can be formed from any appropriate breathable ornon-breathable woven, non-woven, knit or otherwise structured meshmaterial (and, for example, a lightweight high strength-to-weight ratiosynthetic non-woven material having a lower elasticity than thesurrounding material to provide more support in the midfoot region).

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 67A and 67B, the fourth materiallayer 1095 includes one or more spaces 1105, and for example, elongatedholes, that can be positioned and oriented to allow the fourth materiallayer 1095 to stretch more in one direction than in another direction.For example, by orienting the spaces 1105 such that they extend in adirection substantially from the sole 1010 toward the lacing 1030, thefourth material layer 1095 can provide a greater degree of support inthat direction (thereby supporting the lacing system 1030) while stillallowing a greater degree of flexibility along the longitudinal axis ofthe shoe 1000. In various embodiments, the size, shape, and orientationof spaces 1105 within any material layer can be selected to provide anyappropriate stretch, support, and breathability characteristicsdepending upon the region covered by the material layer and the specificperformance characteristics required.

The particular configuration of upper portions, and the particularconfiguration of traction/texture, cushioning, energy return, andsupport characteristics provided by these different upper portions, maybe selected based on general design requirements of an athlete, or groupof athletes, or can be determined based on the analysis of one or moreexperimental data sets to provide configurations specifically customizedfor an athlete, group of athletes, and/or sport and style of play, asdescribed herein. For example, physical and/or optical measurements ofstress and/or strain at various portions of the shoe can be used todetermine optimal regions for the positioning and orientation ofmaterial portions, while measurements of the interaction between asoccer ball and the shoe when controlling and striking the ball (e.g.,measurements of spin and velocity of a ball for different ball strikes,pressure and/or force measurements on the foot, etc.) can be used todetermine appropriate distributions of traction/texture and cushioningcharacteristics in different regions of the foot.

In one embodiment, biometric data and/or performance data relating toone or more athletes performing specific athletic maneuvers (e.g.,running turning, etc.) and ball striking movements (e.g., shooting,passing, trapping, etc.) can be used in the determination of thedistribution of materials on the upper 1005 to best support a specifictype of athlete or type of athletic performance. The specific data usedcan, for example, be based on performance characteristics relevant to aplaying position (e.g., goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, or striker), alevel of performance (e.g., beginner, intermediate, or expert) and/or aplaying style (e.g., speed-based, strength-based, accuracy-based, etc.).The positioning, orientation, and selection of materials, materialproperties, and treatments of the materials in each region of the upper1005 can then be appropriately selected for the particular performancerequired.

The sole plate 1015 of the shoe 1000 of FIGS. 66A and 66B is shown inFIGS. 66C and 66D. The sole plate 1015 includes a plurality of tractionelements shaped, oriented, and arranged to provide optimized performancecharacteristics for the soccer shoe 1000 based on specific designconsiderations. More particularly, the sole plate 1015 includes a firstsole portion 1115 including a plurality of first traction elements 1120having a distal end 1125 and a side wall 1130 formed by a plurality ofextensions 1135 (and, in this case three extensions arranged in asubstantially triangular arrangement) extending from a central core1140. In alternative embodiments, the traction elements 1120 can be ofany size, shape, and orientation, and distributed in any appropriatemanner, as described herein.

The sole plate 1015 further includes a second sole portion 1145 withfour second traction elements 1155, 1160 having a distal end 1125 and aside wall 1130 having a substantially hexagonal cross-section. Inalternative embodiments, the second sole portion 1145 can include agreater or lesser number of traction elements, and the traction elementscan be of any size, shape, and orientation, and distributed in anyappropriate manner, as described herein. For example, in one embodimentof the invention one or more of the second traction elements, and/or oneor more of the first traction elements 1120, can have a circular, ovalor polygonal cross-section (e.g., a triangular, square, rectangular,pentagonal, hexagonal, or higher order polygon) and can be of anyappropriate height and cross-sectional area.

As shown, the second sole portion 1145 extends over a medial portion ofthe lower surface of the sole plate 1015 proximate the medial midfootregion 1055 and medial forefoot region 1062 of the sole plate 1015 and,more particularly, extends over at least a first metatarsal region ofthe sole plate 1015. The sole plate 1015 includes three second tractionelements 1155 arranged in a substantially triangular pattern proximatethe first metatarsal region with a fourth second traction element 1160positioned forward of the three second traction elements 1155 (and, forexample, proximate an edge 1165 of the sole plate 1015) in the medialforefoot region 1062 of the plate 1015.

The traction elements may be symmetrically, or asymmetrically,configured, as required. In addition, the traction elements may be orvarying height and size or all of the same height and/or size and maytaper at any appropriate angle. Each of the traction elements in thefirst sole portion 1115 and second sole portion 1145 can be oriented tooptimize its traction characteristics for the required performancerequirements of the shoe 1000, as described herein.

The second sole portion 1145 can extend from the medial side edge to thecentral region over between approximately 50% to approximately 80% ofthe width of the sole plate. The second sole portion 1145 includes afirst edge 1165 proximate an edge of the sole plate, a second edge 1170extending from the edge of the sole plate to a central region of thesole plate in the forefoot, and a third edge 1175 extending from theedge of the sole plate to the central region of the sole plate from themidfoot region, wherein the second edge 1170 and the third edge 1175converge and meet in the central region 1178 of the sole plate 1015. Inalternative embodiments, the second sole portion 1145 can extend overany appropriate width of the sole plate 1015 and be of any appropriateshape. In one embodiment, the first sole portion 1115 and second soleportion 1145 are separated by one or more flex grooves. Flex grooves canalso be positioned at any appropriate location within the first soleportion 1115 and/or second sole portion 1145.

In one embodiment, the first sole portion 1115 is formed from adifferent material than the second sole portion 1145 with, for example,the first sole portion 1115 formed from nylon and the second soleportion 1145 formed from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). In oneembodiment, the second sole portion 1145 is bonded to, co-molded with,or mechanically attached to the lower surface of the first sole portion1115 (so that the second sole portion 1145 underlies the first soleportion 1115). In an alternative embodiment, the first sole portion 1115may have a cut-out portion into which the second sole portion 1145 canbe inserted so the second sole portion 1145 doesn't underlie the firstsole portion 1115 but rather is places beside it on the lower surface ofthe shoe 1000.

The traction elements may be formed from any appropriate material and,for example, can have a base portion integrally formed from the samematerial as used in the sole portion from which it extends with a tipportion (proximate the distal end 1125) made from a metal (e.g.,aluminum or steel) or TPU. In one embodiment, each of the tractionelements has a tip formed from the same material (e.g., TPU). In analternative embodiment, different traction elements in the first soleportion 1115 and/or second sole portion 1145 can have tips formed fromdifferent materials. For example, one embodiment of the invention caninclude metal-tipped traction elements in a region having high wear(e.g., around the ball of the foot of the wearer), while the tractionelements in regions of lower wear have TPU tips. The tips may beco-molded with the base of the traction elements and sole plate regionsor be connected (through bonding or mechanical attachment—e.g., threadedconnections) after molding of the plate.

In various embodiments, the sole plate 1015 can include any appropriatenumber and arrangement of plate portions with, for example, differentregions providing different degrees of stiffness, torsional stability,flexibility, and/or directional or directionless traction. Additionalstiffness can, for example, be provided by support elements (e.g.,elongate bars of material extending from or through the plate) extendingover appropriate regions of the sole 1010. For example, a torsionalsupport bar 1180 can be positioned through the midfoot region to providesupport and torsional control in that region. In alternativeembodiments, support elements can be placed and oriented in anyappropriate location on the sole 1010.

Providing different regions of the sole plate 1015 with different platematerials and configurations, and with different cleat/traction elementsextending therefrom, can create a shoe sole having beneficialperformance characteristics that change from region to region dependingupon the athletic motion being performed. For example, the sole plate1015 shown in FIGS. 66C and 66D includes a second sole portion 1145located proximate the first metatarsal region having substantiallysmooth cleat/traction elements (e.g., circular or hexagonalcross-sectioned cleats) configured to interact with the ground toprovide appropriate linear traction but to allow the shoe to rotaterelatively easily when imbedded within the ground to allow the wearer topivot quickly and easily when the majority of the weight is on the ballof the foot (i.e., in the region proximate the first metatarsal head).This may be particularly beneficial, for example, in movements requiringa quick change in direction. However, by placing and orientingdirectionally dependent first traction elements 1120 in the first soleportion 1115 away from the ball of the foot the wearer can gain extratraction when more of the foot is on the ground (e.g., during a push-offmotion of the gait cycle). Combining the different traction elements insuch an appropriate arrangement allows the shoe 1000 to support bothquick turning motions and sharp acceleration motions depending on therequirements of the wearer.

Another sole plate 1015 for a soccer boot/shoe 1000 is shown in FIGS.67C to 67E. In this embodiment, the sole plate 1015 again includes afirst sole portion 1115 and a second sole portion 1145, but with thetraction elements in the first sole portion of the same generalconfiguration as the traction elements in the second sole portion (i.e.,with a central core with three ribs extending therefrom) and with thesize, shape, and orientation changed as appropriate to optimize thetraction properties of the shoe 1000 in that region.

In this embodiment, the second sole portion 1145 includes a plurality ofsecondary traction elements 1190 with, the secondary traction elements1190 of a smaller size than the primary traction elements in the firstand second sole portions. The secondary traction elements 1190 areconnected by a plurality of interconnected elongate elements 1195 andprovide additional traction in that region of the sole plate 1015. In analternative embodiment, any appropriate configuration of secondarytraction elements 1190 and/or tread elements can be utilized to supportthe traction of various regions of the shoe. As shown in FIG. 67E, thesecondary traction elements 1190 can extend out to the medial edge 1197of the sole plate 1015 to provide traction for the shoe even during highangle cutting movements where only the medial edge 1197 of the shoe 1000is in contact with the ground, and extend over the entire medialforefoot region of the sole plate 1015 to provide additional tractionduring toe-off.

The sole plate of FIGS. 67C through 67E further includes a raisedstructural support element 1200 in a midfoot region of the sole plate1015 to provide appropriate stiffness and torsional control for themidfoot region. Here, the structural support element 1200 is formed froma plurality of interconnected elongate elements 1205 forming atruss-like structure. The raised structural support element 1200 can behollow or solid, depending on the support required and the weightrequirements of the shoe. In one embodiment, the structural supportelement 1200 can include protrusions 1210 at the connection regionsbetween the interconnected elongate elements 1205 (and/or elsewhere onthe structural support element 1200) to act as additional tractionelements to provide additional traction for the shoe.

The customized footwear elements described herein can be manufacturedthrough any appropriate manufacturing technique such as, but not limitedto, injection molding, blow molding, or using rapid manufacturing(additive manufacturing) technology such as, but not limited to,selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling,stereolithography, laminated object manufacturing, inkjet-based additivemanufacturing, or any appropriate computer controlled manufacturingtechnique including the layered addition/deposition of material.

In one embodiment the customized footwear components described hereincan be manufactured through the use of SLS manufacturing methods andtooling. SLS is an additive manufacturing technique that uses a highpower laser (e.g., a carbon dioxide laser) to fuse small particles ofplastic, metal (direct metal laser sintering), ceramic, or glass powdersinto a mass that has a desired three-dimensional shape. The laserselectively fuses powdered material by scanning cross-sections generatedfrom a 3-D digital description of the part (for example from a CAD fileor scanned data) on the surface of a powder bed. After eachcross-section is scanned, the powder bed is lowered by one layerthickness, a new layer of material is applied on top, and the process isrepeated until the part is completed. SLS manufacturing allows for theformation of parts using various plastics, ceramics, and/or metals.Example materials that may be used in the manufacture of footwearcomponents include, but are not limited to, polymers, and for examplesemi-crystalline polymers such as, but not limited to, nylon (amide),thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE),polyether block amide (PEBA), and/or polyester. Other materials mayinclude, or consist essentially of, shape memory plastics, thermoplasticelastomers (TPE's) such as styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), ethylenevinyl acetate (EVA), and/or rubbers such as butadiene rubber. Examplemetals include materials such as, but not limited to, aluminum,titanium, stainless steel, nickel alloy, cobalt-chrome, managing steel,shape memory alloys (such as, but not limited to, nickel titanium), orother alloys. In one embodiment additional filler materials such as, butnot limited to, nylon or carbon fiber or glass fiber, can be added tothe base material to modify the properties of the finished part. Examplethermoplastic materials for use in SLS additive manufacturing, andmethods of manufacturing parts using these materials, are disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,110,411 to Clausen et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 8,114,334 toMartinoni et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

SLS provides a rapid means for manufacturing components without the needto create a mold for the component through the forming of athree-dimensional article in a layer-wise fashion by selectivelyprojecting a laser beam having the desired energy onto a bed ofparticles of a selected material. In addition, SLS allows for thecreation of complex unitary structures that cannot be manufacturedthrough traditional molding techniques. For example, an outsoleincluding integrated traction elements with undercut sections would beextremely difficult to manufacture through traditional injection or blowmolding manufacturing processes, but is easily manufactured using SLS orother additive manufacturing methods. An example SLS machine that may beutilized to manufacture customized parts, in one embodiment of theinvention, is a P 395 Selective Laser Sintering System manufactured byEOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems of Krailling, Germany.

Other advantages of utilizing rapid manufacturing techniques such as SLSis the ability to create structures having different layers of differentmaterials allowing, for example, for an outsole structure with a baseplate of a first material and integrated traction elements of a secondmaterial. In addition, by carefully controlling the properties of thelaser utilized in SLS manufacturing, such as the laser power and thespeed of the scanning track of the laser, the density and otherstructural properties of the material used to construct the customizedpart can be carefully controlled over different regions of thestructure. This allows, for example, for a lower density (and thereforelighter and more flexible) base plate with traction elements of a higherdensity (and therefore increased strength and stiffness). This alsoallows for different sections of a single structure (e.g., differenttraction elements within a single structure and/or different sectionswithin a single base plate) to be formed with different density,strength, and/or stiffness properties.

SLS manufacturing also provides a significantly faster method ofmanufacturing customized footwear elements than traditional moldingtechniques, at least because there is no need to manufacture a moldprior to forming the customized footwear elements themselves. In oneembodiment an entire customization process, from obtaining the inputparameters through to providing a finished part for an athlete, can becarried out in only a few hours, or possibly less. As a result, SLSmanufacturing, and other relevant additive manufacturing (or 3Dprinting) techniques provide an effective method of manufacturing bothcustomized parts and/or parts (whether customized or designed for abroad range of users) having a structure that would be difficult orimpossible to manufacture using traditional molding techniques.

In one embodiment additional materials, such as, but not limited to,pigmentation and/or UV stabilizers may be added to the powdered materialutilized in the additive manufacturing process to provide colored partsand/or parts that are protected from changes in color (e.g., fading oryellowing) upon exposure to UV light over time. The pigmentation, UVstabilizer, and/or other additives may be added during extrusion of thematerial prior to powderization of the material or be added to thepowdered material in liquid or powdered form. In an alternativeembodiment color can be added to the structure through spray coating,dip coating, or any other appropriate coating technique after formationof the part. The color may be provided by any appropriate paint, ink, orother coloring agent(s) or chemicals(s).

Other additives that could be added during the manufacturing process mayinclude, but are not limited to, antioxidants, antistatic agents, and/orwhitening agents (e.g., fluorescent whitening agents). Exampleantioxidants may include, but are not limited to, aromatic amines,phenols, phosphites and phosphonites, thiosynergists, hindered aminestabilizers, hydroxyl amines, benzofuranone derivatives, and/or acryloylmodified phenols. Example antistatic agents may include, but are notlimited to, fatty acid esters, ethoxylated alkylamines, diethanolamides,and/or ethoxylated alcohol. Example fluorescent whitening agents mayinclude, but are not limited to, bis-benzoxazoles, phenylcoumarins,and/or bis-(styril)biphenyls.

In one embodiment a flow agent such as, but not limited to, a powderedCab-O-Sil® fumed silica (e.g., Cab-O-Sil® PS 530, fumed silica,available from Cabot Corporation of Two Seaport Lane, Suite 1300,Boston, Mass. 02210, USA) can be added to the powdered material toimprove the flowing of the material during depositing of the material inthe powder bed within the additive manufacturing system, as described,for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,411 to Clausen et al. the disclosureof which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

In one embodiment the part may be formed from a material that chemicallyreacts with another material upon exposure thereto to swell or loam toan increased final size after formation. For example, the part may beformed from a material that swells upon exposure to a liquid (e.g.,water) so that, after formation in a reduced state, the part can swellto its finished state by exposure to the liquid.

In one embodiment a blowing agent may be added to the manufacturingmaterial (either during extrusion or during or after powderization ofthe raw material(s)). As a result, a part can be formed through additivemanufacturing that includes a blowing agent designed to foam and expandthe part upon exposure of the part to controlled conditions (e.g.,controlled heat and pressure conditions), for example within apost-processing mold or oven. As a result, parts can be formed throughadditive manufacturing in a reduced size, with the blowing agent withinthe part thereafter activated to produce the finished, foamed part. Thiscan allow for the forming of objects through additive manufacturingtechniques in a reduced size that allows for greatly reduced volumerequirements during manufacturing, with the parts thereafter expanded totheir desired size through activation of the blowing agent(s), therebyallowing significantly more parts to be manufactured in a singlemanufacturing run. Foaming of the parts by activation of a blowing agentafter formation of the part through additive manufacturing can alsocreate parts having different structural properties (e.g., reduceddensity, increase cushioning, etc.) than can be formed through additivemanufacturing alone. The blowing agent may include, or consistessentially of, any appropriate type of physical blowing agent known tothose of ordinary skill in the art such as, but not limited to,nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons (e.g., propane),chlorofluorocarbons, noble gases and/or mixtures thereof. In one exampleembodiment, the blowing agent comprises, or consists essentially of,nitrogen. Example blowing agents, and methods of use, are described inU.S. Patent Publication No. 2012-0196115 A1, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. An example blowingagent for use with the methods and systems described herein is anendothermal blowing agent such as, but not limited to, Kycerol 91 orKycerol 92, formed from modified sodium bicarbonate. Another exampleblowing agent that may be used comprises thermo-expandable microcapsuleswith a liquefied blowing agent (e.g., a liquefied hydrocarbon)encapsulated by a shell layer (e.g., an acrylic copolymer. An example ofsuch a blowing agent is Cellcom-CAP/170K.

The use of SLS or other additive manufacturing techniques allows for theformation of unique structures, and combinations of structures, thatwould be difficult or impossible to create using traditionalmanufacturing techniques. Such structures may, for example, include aplurality of separate elements that are formed in an integrated state,at the same time, during SLS manufacturing to produce an interlockedmulti-component structure (such as the midsole with the structuralelements and linkage elements shown in FIGS. 58A to 58E). An examplestructure, including a shoe 994 having an upper 995 with a plurality ofsole elements 996 formed within the interior 997 the upper 995 is shownin FIG. 65. In this embodiment the sole elements 996 include a pluralityof traction elements 998 that extend through openings 999 in the upper995 to form a ground contacting surface for the shoe 994.

In one embodiment, utilization of SLS manufacturing allows for inputparameters to be measured or selected remotely (e.g., at an athleticfacility, in a store, or even at home), with the input parametersanalyzed either remotely or at the users location (using a designprogram adapted to allow a user to design a footwear componentthemselves using the input parameters and various selection criteria) oranalyzed at a manufacturing facility upon receiving input parameter datafrom a user/athlete. The analysis tools may include an algorithm forconverting the design based on the performance metrics and userpreferences into a computer readable file (e.g. a CAD file) that can besent directly to an SLS machine to form the customized part. Theanalysis tool may, for example, include a program or application (App)that can be stored on a PC or portable electronic device and can sendinput parameters, user selection criteria, performance metricinformation, and/or final design information over a wireless or wirednetwork to a manufacturing tool for construction of the customizedfootwear components. As a result, an athlete can create a customizeddesign remotely, send that design to a manufacturing tool, and have thepart manufactured and sent back to the user in short order. Measurementtools (e.g., measuring devices such as pressure sensor arrays and/orbody scanning and/or measurement tools) can be located at shoe stores,at an athletic facility or event, and/or at home, while manufacturingtools (e.g., SLS machines) can be located at shoe stores, at an athleticfacility or event, and/or at remote manufacturing locations.Alternatively, users can utilize portable consumer additivemanufacturing tools to build customized footwear elements at home.

In one embodiment the part, or parts, formed through the manufacturingprocess and, for example, through SLS, can be post-processed to provideadditional aesthetic and/or structural characteristics. Suchpost-processing may include painting the part and/or coating the partwith a material that supports or modifies the structural characteristicsof the part, infusing the part with one or more materials, fillingcavities in the part with one of more materials, and/or encasing thepart in a covering material.

In one embodiment of the invention, rather than providing individuallycustomized footwear for each individual athlete a plurality ofpredetermined footwear options can be provided with an athlete choosingthe most appropriate option depending upon their specific needs andcharacteristics. For example, multiple data sets of athlete data (e.g.,pressure and force data) can be categorized into a number ofpredetermined categories, with the categories determined bycharacteristics such as, but not limited to, footstrike location (e.g.,heel striker, midfoot striker, or forefoot striker), level ofpronation/supination, straight running or curved track running, etc. Inthis embodiment the athlete can select a pre- or post-manufactured“customized” shoe based on which category, or categories, the athletefits into. In one specific embodiment, a shoe can be offered in alimited number of different options with traction elements specificallyset up for heel-strikers, midfoot strikers, and/or forefoot strikers.

One embodiment of the invention allows for the utilization of themethods and algorithms described herein to design and manufactureapparel and/or equipment for use by athletes and other users. Forexample, measurements of physical characteristics of an individual maybe used to custom design articles of apparel such as, but not limitedto, protective helmets, protective garments for the upper and/or lowerbody (e.g., shirts and/or pants incorporating protective material orsleeves and/or wraps incorporating protective material for placement onthe limbs and/or torso of a wearer), protective padding, etc. Relevantperformance measurements for an athlete carrying out a sporting activitycan also be incorporated into the input parameters for ensuring that theapparel provides the protection required without sacrificingperformance. For example, measurements of the shape and size of a headof an athlete can be used as input parameters for a method of designinga custom fitted helmet for that athlete. In one embodiment, inputparameters can include measurements of the movements of the athlete(e.g., rotation of the neck and or change in shape of the neck due toflexing of the neck muscles), which can be used to customize the helmetfurther to limit the effect of the helmet on the athletic performance ofthe wearer without compromising the protection provided. In oneembodiment customized padding (e.g., shoulder pads, elbow pads, torsopadding, forearm padding, shin pads, hip padding, etc.) can be providedfor an athlete by measuring the physical characteristics of the part ofthe body requiring protection and/or obtaining measurements relating tothe movement of that body part during performance of the athleticactivity for which the padding is designed. Customized helmets, apparel,and/or padding may be beneficial in sports such as, but not limited to,lacrosse, American football, ice hockey, field hockey, rugby, soccer,baseball, softball, martial arts, and/or boxing.

In one embodiment footwear and blades for skating (e.g., during icehockey, speed skating, or ice dancing) may be customized for aparticular skater based on physical characteristics of the wearer and/orperformance characteristics of the wearer (e.g., relating to the skatingstyle of the wearer and/or the particular movements carried out by thewearer during their particular athletic activities). As manufacturingmethods such as, but not limited to, SLS allow for the manufacturing ofcomponents from many materials including both plastics and metals,multiple parts of a skate can be custom manufactured including, but notlimited to, the blade, the blade attachment, the sole, and/or the upper.

One embodiment of the invention allows for the utilization of themethods and algorithms described herein to design and manufacture ofsporting equipment (or elements thereof) such as, but not limited to,lacrosse heads, lacrosse nets, golf clubs, tennis racquets, grippingelements for any piece of sporting equipment, hockey sticks (and, forexample, the head and/or gripping portions thereof) through use ofphysical characteristic of the user and/or performance characteristicsof the user (e.g., through measurement of the forces, pressures,stresses, strains and/or flexion of the piece of sporting equipmentduring a specific athletes performance of an athletic activity).

It should be understood that alternative embodiments, and/or materialsused in the construction of embodiments, or alternative embodiments, areapplicable to all other embodiments described herein.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The foregoingembodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respectsillustrative rather than limiting the invention described herein. Scopeof the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims, rather thanby the foregoing description, and all changes that come within themeaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to beembraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sole plate for an article of footwearcomprising: a lower surface adapted for ground contact, the lowersurface comprising: a first sole portion comprising a plurality of firsttraction elements, the first traction elements comprising a distal endand a side wall comprising a plurality of extensions extending from acentral core; and a second sole portion comprising a plurality of secondtraction elements, the second traction elements having at least onegeometrical feature differing in at least one aspect from acorresponding geometrical feature of the first traction elements.
 2. Thesole plate of claim 1, wherein the first traction elements comprisethree tapered extensions extending from the central core.
 3. The soleplate of claim 1, wherein an orientation of at least one first tractionelement in a first region of the first sole portion is different from anorientation of at least one first traction element in a second region ofthe first sole portion.
 4. The sole plate of claim 1, wherein the secondtraction elements comprise a distal end and a side wall comprising asubstantially hexagonal cross-section.
 5. The sole plate of claim 1,wherein the second traction elements comprise a distal end and a sidewall comprising at least one of a substantially circular cross-section,a substantially oval cross-section, and a substantially polygonalcross-section, the polygonal cross-section comprising at least one of atriangular, a square, a rectangular, a pentagonal, or a hexagonalpolygon.
 6. The sole plate of claim 1, wherein the second sole portioncomprises three second traction elements arranged in a substantiallytriangular pattern proximate a first metatarsal region of a foot of awearer of the article of footwear.
 7. The sole plate of claim 6, whereinthe three second traction elements arranged in the substantiallytriangular pattern have substantially the same height.
 8. The sole plateof claim 6, wherein the second sole portion further comprises a fourthsecond traction element positioned in a medial forefoot region of thefoot of the wearer of the article of footwear.
 9. The sole plate ofclaim 1, wherein the second sole portion extends from a medial side edgeof the sole plate to a central region of the sole plate and the firstsole portion extends from a lateral side edge of the sole plate to acentral region of the sole plate proximate at least one of a midfootregion of the sole plate, a forefoot region of the sole plate, and ametatarsal region of a foot of a wearer of the article of footwear. 10.The sole plate of claim 9, wherein the second sole portion extends fromthe medial side edge to the central region over a maximum of betweenapproximately 50% to approximately 80% of the width of the sole plate.11. The sole plate of claim 1, wherein the second sole portioncomprises: a first edge proximate an edge of the sole plate; a secondedge extending from the edge of the sole plate to a central region ofthe sole plate; and a third edge extending from the edge of the soleplate to the central region of the sole plate, wherein the second edgeand the third edge converge and meet in the central region of the soleplate.
 12. The sole plate of claim 1, wherein the first sole portion andsecond sole portion are separated by one or more flex grooves.
 13. Thesole plate of claim 1, wherein the first sole portion comprises a firstmaterial and the second sole portion comprises a second materialdifferent from the first material.
 14. The sole plate of claim 13,wherein the first material comprises nylon and the second materialcomprises thermoplastic polyurethane.
 15. The sole plate of claim 1,wherein the first sole portion is at least one of bonded to andco-molded with the second sole portion.
 16. The sole plate of claim 1,wherein at least one of the first traction elements and second tractionselements comprises a metal.
 17. The sole plate of claim 1, wherein atleast one first traction element and at least one second tractionelement comprises a metal and at least one first traction element and atleast one second traction element comprises a thermoplasticpolyurethane.
 18. The sole plate of claim 1, wherein each of the firsttraction elements and the second traction elements comprisesthermoplastic polyurethane.
 19. The sole plate of claim 1, wherein atleast one of the first sole portion and the second sole portion furthercomprises at least one of a tread pattern and a plurality of thirdtraction elements.
 20. The sole plate of claim 19, wherein the thirdtraction elements are connected by a plurality of interconnectedelongate elements. 21-35. (canceled)